


Let's Not Wipe Out The Human Kind 2

by Ainsa



Series: Let's Not Wipe Out the Human Kind [2]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Boredom, Developing Friendships, Discovery, Escape, Eventual Romance, F/M, Germany, Infiltration, Italy, Kidnapping, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Military Ranks, Missions, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Prison, Protective Loki (Marvel), Spy Natasha Romanov, Team Bonding, Thor: The Dark World, Torture, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27083845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ainsa/pseuds/Ainsa
Summary: The story continues.So far, for new readers, I would advise you to read the first part of this series where my OC Nova gets sucked into Avengers and Mischief business during the happenings of Iron Man 3 and CA:TWS.This is my version of what happens with the characters from 'Let's not wipe out the human kind' after Loki's departure from earth. It covers the alternative timeline from CA:TWS to Thor:TDW and beyond as I want to finish this with a start of Avengers:AOU.A quick recap of where we left off can be found in the notes, and below is a summary of this work:Nova finds herself bored and lonely in New York without Loki to keep her busy. She decides to take up Natasha's offer and get's trained as a spy before being sent of to infiltrate one of the European bases of Hydra. Meanwhile Loki get's shipped to Asgard where he is left in his cell to be forgotten by all and he is bored. Will they meet again? Will Nova succeed in infiltrating the Hydra base or will she be discovered? What happens when Dr Doom finds out Nova is back in his territory?I suggest you read this if you want to find out.
Relationships: Frigga | Freyja/Odin (Marvel), Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Let's Not Wipe Out the Human Kind [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828780
Comments: 15
Kudos: 35





	1. Have I made you proud?

**Author's Note:**

> A quick recap of part 1:
> 
> Nova her house is destroyed by the Avengers after Loki uses it as a hideout during one of his escapes. This results in Loki being detained and drugged in a more forceful manner and Nova being employed by Stark Industries. To fight Loki's boredom Tony Stark builds a two story library in his tower where Nova becomes the librarian. During the Christmas holidays, after a few horrible attacks on American soil Tony Stark challenges the mandarin personally. To ensure his the safety of his staff the tower goes into lockdown and Nova is accidentally locked onto a floor with Loki. Iron Man 3 happens and during this Nova and Loki come to some form of understanding. 
> 
> As life goes back to normal Natasha starts to suspect something is going on within Shield. especially since the Scepter has disappeared during Tony Stark his absence. She warns Nova to keep an eye out and that's when a violent coup takes place, cue in Captain America:TWS. Loki get's relieved from his bounds in order to find Nova and warn Thor. He has other plans however and the pair end up in Germany. With Loki's magic depleted and no money or personal papers Nova must find them a way back to the states in order to warn Thor and safe the world. 
> 
> With help from Dr Doom and Nova's mother the pair reach the states and find Thor. They are too late however to help the captain in his fight. And while the scepter remains in evil hands, Thor does manage to retrieve the Tesseract. Resulting in him and Loki returning to Asgard and Nova returning to her work in the library.

With a gentle touch she flicked on the lights of the library. It is the early morning of her first day of work after all the draining adventures from last week. Even the shower that morning hadn’t helped wake her up as she continued towards her desk in what she dubbed ‘zombie mode’. Maybe it was also due to the slight hangover torturing her head. 

Last night after Thor and Loki departed for Asgard, Tony Stark had insisted on celebrating their so-called ‘win’. Or more precisely Captain America’s win… Over Hydra... The hydra that apparently still existed.. And the hero who was still knocked-out on the medical floor, his entire organisation destroyed. So who had won? 

No-one had been in a very festive mood, maybe except for Tony Stark himself. Despite all that they had managed to clear out the entire, unsurprisingly well stocked, liquor pantry. In hindsight not their best idea. Then again not her worst party or her worst hangover either... 

“Ow! Fucking Hell…” The exclamation more of an indiscernible mumble as she stubbed her little toe against the leg of one of the couches. Nursing her injured foot by standing on it with her other, she realised she must have forgotten to put on shoes. Not that she had needed them, not having been outside. One of the perks of living and working in the same building. 

That’s when the sleepy fog started to clear from her mind. Something was off about the library. She had walked around often enough with a sleepy head, in full zombie mode, or with her face buried in a book. Yet this was the first time she had ever bumped into the furniture, except for maybe the first week when she still had to get used to the floorplan. Something was off. Or more precisely, something had been moved…

That thought made her freeze on the spot. Someone had moved the furniture. Someone had broken into her library, her sanctuary and moved the couch. Now she was wide awake. The adrenaline coursing through her body. Her senses focussed on any sound, movement, smell or feeling not supposed to be there. But none identified themselves. Slowly she lifted her head. Now hyper aware of her surroundings. That’s when she spotted it and once she saw it she couldn't believe not noticing before. 

None of the covers of the books were visible. All the 3567 books were turned backwards. A chuckle escaped her lips as she turned around in the middle of the library. Taking in all the shelves. Looking up even the upper levels were affected. As she slowly turned around she couldn’t help but throw her head back in an almost maniacal laugh. 

This was perhaps the most personal farewell gift she had ever received. It was also the only farewell gift she had ever received. Gently she took the black pebble from her pocket and fiddled with it in her hand, still smiling. 

Loki, her mischievous friend, as she by now counted him amongst her unbelievably small inner circle, had made sure she would not only never forget him. But also had multiple stories of their adventures together to tell the world. Adventures that wouldn’t paint him as the bad guy per-se, but as the mischievous and clever entity he was. 

That however didn’t make up for the fact that she would spend the next few days turning all the books back around. She sighed as she pocketed the stone again, silently cursing and thanking him in her head. She had to start somewhere. “Hey Jar, could you play me some Meat Loaf, Bat out of Hell?” and with the heavy guitars starting she also began her work, the hangover completely forgotten. 

About halfway through the first shelves she couldn’t help but curse Loki. “Really? Just turning the books wasn’t enough was it?” He had to mix up the category system and put all books in alphabetical order. She knew she was talking to an empty room. Loki being far away on Asgard, probably being tried at that very moment. 

Even so, just for a moment it felt as if Loki was there... Smirking at her from his seat on the couch. She could feel his eyes burn on her back and she turned around. Only to be greeted by the empty room. Her shoulders fell and she ducked her head. Silently cursing herself for hoping he had magically returned. She remembered his last words. There is a chance he is already dead. 

* * *

As if the handcuffs weren't enough Loki was brought before the throne wearing not only the cuffs but a collar, waistband and ankle restraints all attached to chains held by his guards. As if he had had any chance of escaping without access to his seidr. The moment he and Thor had arrived on Asgard he had been sent to the dungeons to spend the night. And now, re-shackled, he was clinking and clanking making his way to the Throne room. For all of Asgard to see. For all of Asgard to see his fall, his humiliation, his punishment. 

He remembers to keep his head high. His expression neutral, although inside he is scowling at the masses, turned up to look at him. How dare they? His paces with the grace that becomes a prince, don’t let them see how he is affected by the circus. The doors close behind him and he continues through the dark hall. Frigga is standing to the side, a sorrowful expression on her face. Or perhaps fear. It makes him more convinced he will be executed. Why else would she be scared? 

Just then the thought comes to mind that she is scared of him. That what he did was so bad, so horrendous. She finally sees the monster he is. The monster that she helped create. It hurts. To think his mother, for Frigga is his mother although not by blood, hates him. She must be scared enough to want to make sure he will be executed. That must be why she is here, at what is supposed to be a private trial. He pushes the thought away. He cannot be distracted right now. “Loki” He stops, turning to her. She is nervously fidgeting with her hands. 

“Hello Mother” he tries to convey at least a bit of the love he feels for her in the word although it comes out wrong. He is too tense, too bound on keeping his posture to show her that he doesn’t like seeing her like this. The thought from before comes to mind and he cannot help but lash out. Even at her. “Have I made you proud?”

She shakes her head, recognising his words for what they are. She is not looking at him, instead focussing on the rim of her sleeve. “Please, don't make this worse.” Is she begging him, pleading with him? As if he could make it worse. Loki is convinced there is no way to make it worse for himself. Yet she seems convinced there is. Curious he leans towards her. “Define worse?” it is more of a statement than a question. Almost as their playful banter every time Loki had managed to get himself in trouble when he was still a child. 

“Enough!” Odin interrupts them. Seated high on his throne the old king looks worn. It is clear that the last few years haven’t been kind to him. Yet he is still the imposing, unforgiving statue Loki remembers him being. “I will speak to the prisoner alone.”

Step one, take away their identity by not addressing them by their name. Loki marks the thought with a mental check before turning to Odin. Frigga leaves via one of the back doors. His only possible ally is now gone. Although he doesn’t think she could be of much help. He decides to have some fun. This being the last time he can aggravate Odin. He watches Frigga go before taking two more steps to the bottom of the throne. 

There he ends by klanking his ankle restraints together in mock salute and begins laughing. “I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.” Odin’s face remains stoic as he answers “Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes?” pause “Where ever you go there is war, ruin and death.” Trying to stop the cheshire grin from showing on his face Loki replies “I went down to midgard to rule the people of earth as a benevolent God.” He allows for a dramatic pause before continuing with a shake of his head and a barely contained smile “Just like you.”

“We are not gods, we are born, we live, we die. Just as humans do.” There is utter disappointment in his eye. Disappointment that only fuels Loki’s hate. “Give or take 5.000 tears.” he allows his mouth to curve although the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “All this because Loki desires a throne.” How dare he, he who raised him to desire that throne. He who told him that he would get that throne, that he was destined to it. How dare he make his ambition into a petulant desire? Anger is coursing through him, his expression melts back to the neutral mask. “It is my birthright!” 

“Your birthright” There is extra articulation as if Odin, who is now leaning forward, his anger matching that of Loki, wants to make sure his words cannot be misinterpreted. “was to die!” That hits and he fights to keep his expression neutral, clenching his jaws as Odin continues at a softer tone. “As a child. Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me.” 

Loki is fuming under his calm demise. Odin dares to bring that up. As if the fact that he took him in as a child makes up for all the further lies and neglect. He is done. He is so done with this man. With this world. With this life. Not for the first time he wishes his fall from the bifrost had been final. Perhaps now, an execution would be more successful in killing him. 

“If I’m for the axe then for Mercy’s sake, just swing it.” He looks at the bottom of the stairs ”It’s not that I don’t love our little talks it’s just…” His brain freezes, did he really just ask to be executed, is he really that desperate. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts before facing Odin once more. “I don’t love them.”

“Frigga is the only reason you’re still alive, and you’ll never see her again.” That makes his mouth fall open, he hadn’t realized this, although he should have expected as much. “You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeons.” The soldiers start to pull on the chains as Loki’s brain is still trying to wrap around his sentence.

They are going to lock him away. Death would have been a public execution, he realizes, people would have remembered him. But now. He is to be locked up until everyone in Asgard has forgotten he exists. It is worse, worse than the axe. The worst thing they could possibly do to him. He cannot help but scoff at the ingeniousness. 

“And what of Thor?” He is blinking to keep the tears, the emotion at bay. “You’ll make that witless oaf King while I rot in chains?” Odin is back to business. “Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done. He’ll bring order to the Nine Realms and then, yes…” The guards grasp onto Loki's shoulders as he remains unmoving, bracing himself against their pull. “He will be King.” 

* * *

Nova gets up from her chair behind her desk. It had taken her a whole day and most of the next morning to finish turning the books back and restoring the shelving system. Honestly, it hadn’t been that bad. It was a nice reminder of Loki. It had kept her busy, had kept her head busy for those first few days back. But now, three days later, everything seemed back to normal. 

She turns to his normal spot, the now empty couch. No cup of tea balancing on the edge of the stool he had brought in from god knows where, just for that purpose. No soft chuckles whenever he read something funny or ridiculous. No soft groans when a character did something remarkably stupid. No flashing green eyes looking at her over his book whenevers she would make a similar, but apparently unexpected, sound. 

She couldn’t deny it. She missed him. She missed meeting his eyes and smiling at him. She missed his sounds, the horrible smell of his tea, which was probably earl gray. She even missed the soft grunt he used to greet her in the morning. The library wasn’t the same without him. 

Since it is close to lunchtime she decides to close the doors and head down to the cafeteria. But even there she is alone. From all the employees only a quarter are still working at the tower. All the SHIELD agents are gone and so is half of Stark’s staff who turned out to be working for Hydra. 

Chris is gone. And even if he wasn’t he hates her now. He hates her for liking Loki and he probably hates her more once he finds out she was there when his dad died. She cannot find Elisicia anywhere, though that isn’t strange. The woman is probably in the back of the kitchen. Or she has finally decided to retire altogether. As for the others still there, the rumour of her being Loki’s whore perhaps died down, but that doesn’t mean they believe it any less. Not at all according to the foul stares she gets from some of the tables she passes. 

Mindlessly she picks at her food at the table. A shadow announces someone joining her but she is too caught up in thoughts to notice. “Have you thought about my proposal?” That gets her to look up. Black widow is sitting at her table, a packaged sandwich in one hand and a coffee in the other. She is wearing a leather jacket and a white top underneath. Her signature red hair is sleek and falling just to her shoulders. Nova blinks at her, forcing her brain to work. 

“I haven’t actually. Sorry, I’ve been busy.” Natasha nods, she knows about the prank played on the library. She also knows that it was cleaned three days ago. “So, think about it now.” She takes a bite of the sandwich, not taking her eyes off Nova. “Could you be more specific about what I would be doing?” Natasha gives a tiny hint of a smile before swallowing and replying. “We have to complete your cover story and you would infiltrate one of the Hydra bases we know about. Probably Europe but possibly Asia, depends where we need you most. There you will gather intel on the locations of the other bases and if possible some stolen weapons. We will attack the base you are in, making sure to get you out alive and retrieve the intell. Piece of cake.”

That sounded ridiculously easy and preposterously like the plot of an old spy novel. “And you think I can do that, like now?” Nova cannot believe it. “I’m not trained as a spy. I have no experience in the field and I can hardly defend myself.” Not to mention I’m terrible at lying and the whole world knows I work for Stark Industries, she adds in her mind. This makes the widow smile even more. “First there would be an elaborate training, let’s say a minimum of three months?” 


	2. Your mission, should you choose to accept it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova trains with Clint and Natasha, gets tested by Maria and Steve and makes a phone call to her old life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to try something new with the chapter summaries...  
> Let me know what you think (more info? less info? tantalizing enough?)

“Okay, how much of that do you recall?” They are in the basement of the secret training facility in the middle of Brooklyn. From the outside it looks like any regular apartment building. On the inside however, there is a gym, a shooting range, a computer lab, a medical section, multiple secret training areas and the interrogation room that they are in now. 

Nova is sitting on the table, her legs dangling off on the side as she inspects her nail beds. This training isn’t just about recalling information, it is also about keeping herself in check. So that is what she does. A bored expression on her face she looks up at Clint. He has one eyebrow raised expectantly, waiting for her to answer his question. 

She looks back at her nail beds, forcing her heart rate down by taking a deep breath. “Too obvious, try slower next time.” The voice of Natasha comes over the intercom. She hates that they monitor everything she does in here. She tries again, taking a deep breath without making it obvious she is taking one. This time there is no comment.

Clint scrapes his throat, he really wants to know how much she remembers from her 3.5 seconds glance in the room. As she was walked past it. He is also curious how much of the conversations she picked up. The worst part of the practice, she wasn’t allowed to tell the truth. She had to hide the information in chatter. 

Keeping her expression neutral and her voice blank she begins. “I saw a small group at the diner yesterday. Two men and a woman. Overheard them talking, the couple. He was an IT specialist, she was… I don't remember. They were having a fight, apparently he took an unnecessary detour from their house and got lost. He took two left turns instead of one right.” 

That was all the important facts out of the way, she had seen three people in the room, though she had only heard the third person. They were in a computer lab from what she could see. With her detour she had even given directions as to the placement of the room when coming from the entrance. 

Now for what she overheard. “She wasn’t happy, stating she needed more money to go shopping next time. He was telling her it was too expensive, especially since she already failed twice to find the perfect dress. Then the third guy mixed into the conversation stating that the man should spoil his wife to pieces or he would.” 

She looks up at Clint, a hopeful glitter in her eye, with her busy mind remembering things she only saw at a glance or heard once usually didn’t register. She had worked so hard to obtain that skill and to translate it into something an outsider could see as an innocent story. His eyes twinkle with pride and she is glad for that, especially since his face remains stern. He looks at the two-way mirror and Natasha’s voice sounds over the system. “Very good, just missing a few details.” 

“Yeah, the guy you didn’t see was the big boss, the other guy the little boss, not an IT specialist although this did tell us the room purpose so I would have let it slip. The woman was a scientist specialized in human trials, probably could have called her a nurse or so.” The door opens and Natasha walks in. “Don't be so harsh on her Clint, she’s only been doing this for six weeks, and she’s been progressing far quicker than we had anticipated.” she squeezes Nova’s shoulder in encouragement. 

Clint just grumbles something and signals for Natasha to follow him outside. It is only when she is left alone that Nova lets go of her tense posture and lets herself fall backwards onto the table. She has grown rather close to Natasha, her mentor and soon to be contact once she is going undercover. But to make sure she is not biased Natasha wanted Clint to come in and test her as well. 

Which probably wouldn't be a problem except Clint holds kind of a grudge against her for helping and befriending Loki. He doesn’t trust her, and he likes to make sure she knows. In the hallway there is again the same conversation between Natasha and Clint as they had every week for the past two months. About the same issue. 

“I don’t like her one bit Nat, she is too fucking good at this too quickly. Are you sure she isn’t one of them already? During their time in Europe they could have easily gotten her employed. She has plenty of reason too, with the whole affair Tony has with her family.” Natasha just shakes her head. “I have a good feeling about her, don’t you trust me?” 

He holds on to her shoulders “A good feeling Nat? A good feeling?!? Are you even listening to yourself? We are trained to get all the facts, to look at every tiny detail and the big picture. Since when have you started relying on your gut feeling?” That earns him a hard look. She looks down at the ground before answering. “Since my gut told me something was wrong within SHIELD.” 

“Oh” Deflated he lets her go. “I trust you Nat, I really do.” He takes a deep breath, “You are right, she is good, really good. Give her two more months to put the icing on the cake and if she were anybody else I would send her in.” He looks into her eyes, checking for any sign she isn’t as sure as she wants him to believe. As usual her training is too good. “I’ll report my findings to the boss, please prove me wrong.”

* * *

Nova is in the boxing ring, one of her less favorite and possibly more important skills to train. She is working with Maria this time. Although the defense is not her only objective. She is also supposed to talk about her cover. “So, I’m still me.” She delivers two punches to the others mid-section but they get blocked easily. Talking and fighting at the same time just means there is less power behind the punch. 

A soft grunt leaves her as she blocks a punch going straight for her nose. “I hate Tony Stark and everything to do with him or his company.” She dodges a kick trying to get some space in between them so she can finish her sentences. 

“He ruined my family, caused my mom and dad to divorce, my dad to leave and he killed my favorite uncle. I tried to take revenge by working for him but wasn’t given enough access to do any ugh...” During the last sentence Maria kicks her legs from under her and she lands on her back with a grunt. “Damage” Within a split second Maria is on top of her, putting her in a choke hold, but without the actual choke. With her last breath she pushes out “Traveling through Europe with Loki opened my eyes to the possibilities Hydra offers.” 

It sounds a bit strained but Maria lets her go, looking at the man at the edge of the boxing ring. He has a cap on, covering his face in shade and is wearing a leather jacket over his broad shoulders. “Convinced boss?” “That last part was a bid too rehearsed,” He turns to Nova who is catching her breath, sitting in the middle of the ring. “On the other hand, that might actually be for the better. After all you are a bit nervous about them turning you down. Ya know, this is your last chance at revenge or something.” 

Maria nods, extending her hand to Nova, “Playing the desperate angle a bit more probably wouldn’t hurt.” “Yeah, also keep the name-dropping, they might just think Loki taught you something they can use.” Nova takes Maria’s hand and lets herself be dragged upright. 

She shakes first Maria’s hand then Steve's. It is still weird she gets to call him Steve. Not only that, but he came all this way to check on her progress. She feels her cheeks heating up at the thought. He smiles at her with that innocent smile before turning back to Maria. That’s her signal, she has been dismissed. Time for a shower. 

* * *

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it” Nova was muttering to herself while packing her bag. Butterflies, or more accurately bats, flying around in her stomach. She was nervous as hell. Today was the day she had been training for for months now. Honestly, she was terrified. 

She had a list of things to do, last details to check, and then she would go for coffee with one of the hydra officers she had contacted. Once she had convinced him she wasn’t a spy or anything, he would give her a plane ticket and tell her at which base to report. Then her mission would really begin. All contact with the outside world would be cut off except the monthly letter to Natasha or more precisely to Marya Konn, a pen pal from Germany. Or more precisely Elisicia who was enjoying her retired life in the German mountains. 

With shaking hands she packed the last of her belongings in the bag. Some clothes, knives and her gun, the full Lord of the Rings book series, two spy novels by John le Carré, the Da Vinci Code and her newest purchase Red Sparrow. Lastly, her phone charger, her diary and the small black pebble were put in before zipping up the bag. Then she picks up her phone to make her last phone call to her old life. 

It takes two rings for Anna to pick up the phone. “Heey! Nova!” “Hey Ann” She sits herself on the bed, forcing herself to calm down. “I haven’t heard from you in ages! How are you? How is the job? I am living in Windesbrook again, Lisa moved from the house and Josh offered me the room! He is so dreamy, I cannot believe you let him go!” A small silence follows as Nova swallows away the lump in her throat suddenly trying to overwhelm her. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said that. Are you okay?” Nova smiles at the smallness of Anna’s voice. 

“Yes, Ann. Not my happiest moment. But I’m fine… good actually.” “Really? How’s the job going? Last time I spoke to you was… around May wasn’t it? You were thinking about a career switch?” Nova smiles, feeling relieved her friend doesn’t sound angry for not calling earlier. “I took the new job. No more Stark industries for me.” “huh? I thought you worked for the Avengers?” “Uhm, yeah, I did, kinda” Absentmindedly she taps on the gun holster on her hip. “I’m going to be working in Europe for a while. Probably about six months. Its a very rural job, no internet. No phone signal…” She pauses to let that sink in, letting herself drop back on the bed. 

It takes a while for Anna to respond. “This is not goodbye is it?” She can almost hear the tears that form in Anna’s eyes as she said this. “No Ann, I sure hope not.” “Josh said you might pull something like this. That now that you were living with the heroes you would forget all about us.” A twang of guilt settles in Nova’s chest, together with a flint of anger. How dare he say things like that to her best and oldest friend? What was he trying to accomplish? She gets up and starts pacing through the small space of her bedroom. Three steps, turn, three steps, turn, deep breath. 

“I’m sorry, Anna. I know I haven’t been the best friend lately. I hope I can tell you all about my adventures once i’m back. I haven't’ forgotten about you, or Josh for that matter. It’s like I said, I stopped loving him that way. I still care for him though, and for you…” There is a silence on the other side for a while before a soft click and Josh his voice can be heard in the background. 

“I know Nova, I’m sorry too. I just...“ He sighs “I just can’t help wondering if it would also have happened when you wouldn’t have gone to New York…” Nova’s heartbeat increases at hearing his voice. The guilt that had settled getting worse as she hears it, but so does the anger. Why didn’t Anna tell her Josh was listening? It almost feels like getting betrayed. Her mind wanders to Loki. He wouldn’t do something like this, right? Actually she is pretty sure he would, but she would know about it, she would be expecting it. She didn’t expect it from Anna. 

“Hi Josh, Nice to hear you too.” It comes out almost as a sneer but neither on the other side of the line seem to notice as all she hears is a breathy “yeah”. Suddenly she is very uncomfortable with the two of them. A feeling she is used to by others but not with her best friends. She stops pacing suddenly. “I’m sorry guys… I have to go! Take care.” “Bye Nova!” “Good luck! Stay Safe!” Just before she hangs up she hears it, the reason why she had to hang up the phone. She wasn’t fast enough... “I miss you” She blinks away the angry tears as she lets herself fall face first on the bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Also I live for Kudos and Comments so don't forget to leave them behind ;)


	3. Really, that’s your name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova drinks Whiskey and makes new friends

Mr Fisher as he calls himself is seated on the terras of one of the lesser rooftop-bars of New York's Brooklyn. His right hand is nursing his second Bacardi-cola of the already too long afternoon, his other hand is on his lap, holding a gun on top of a manilla file. Having said that it was also his last appointment of the day and his wife insisted he finished his tasks before following her overseas. His wife, the tight-lipped honduran beauty who fled to the states after hurricane Mitch in 1998. She had been a true wonder to come into his widowed life, his own excotic beauty. Then she started working for Hydra and dragged him along with her. Together they would help make the world better, because all this democratic debate was helping no-one. 

His wife however was not only beautiful, she was also smart. Although her files were now publicly accessible online, his had never been in the possession of either Hydra or SHIELD. Which was exactly the reason why his wife was now finding refuge in Belgium while he had to finish recruiting for the thinned out Hydra in the states. The past few months he had done nothing but travel all over the country talking to potential agents, like the one he was supposed to meet here. His wife had sent him the detailed encrypted files of every candidate so far and this one was nothing special, except the name. Whoever named their daughter that should be at least mentally checked, he thought as he saw the girl in question walking towards him. 

She was wearing dark gray-ish skinny jeans, metal-studded biker boots, a light gray sweatshirt with the text ‘To quote Hamlet, Act III Scene III Line 87 “NO” ’, a backpack and huge sunglasses that completely ripped her face out of proportions. A leather jacket was loosely wrapped around her waist and he could see the shape of a phone in the front pocket of her jeans. It was fashionable enough not to stand out, and yet from her outfit he could determine multiple things. 

Firstly, she liked books or wanted to seem educated. Since she used to work in a book-store he figured the first was closer to the truth. Secondly the backpack, now being set on the floor next to the table with an unexpected thud, indicating a heavy load, didn’t match her outfit. It was one of those canvas backpacks with separate pockets accessible from the outside for pretty much everything. That wasn’t necessarily what stood out. No, the backpack was a striking rusty colour with black leather accents. He believed his wife had at one point bought a dress in that colour, calling it ‘caput mortuum’. And then there was her hair, which had obviously been dyed blonde and seemed to be constantly moving even though the barriers surrounding the terras ensured there was no wind. 

Her hands were nervously fidgeting on her lap as she looked up at the balding man sitting in front of her. He doesn’t recognize her presence until she remembers to take off the sunglasses, squinting against the bright sunshine. The manilla folder moves from under the table in front of him and he opens it, as if studying for the first time. He knows, the longer he waits to speak, the more nervous she is going to get. And even though he wants this done quickly, he also doesn’t want to disappoint his wife. The waiter comes and she orders half a shot of whiskey, neat and freshly squeezed orange juice, neither of which he had expected. He can smell the sweat on her. Unsurprisingly since she is the only person within a 20 mile radius wearing a sweater on possibly the hottest day of august. 

He looks at her over the folder as the waiter returns with her drinks and she downs the glass of whiskey in one go before pulling a face. She then catches him looking and it unnerves her. “Not my usual choice but I heard it’s good against nerves” Her voice sounds exactly like he imagined it would, soft, a slight tremble from nerves and a sharp edge. He nods in response. “Is it necessary to calm your nerves?” she almost chokes on the orange juice and quickly grabs her napkin to wipe away the spill. “Evidently” her answer is almost whispered to the tablecloth as she doesn’t seem to be able to look into his eyes. It is then he takes pity on her, remembering his wife's nerves when she applied at Hydra. 

“I’m Mr Fisher, but you already knew that. I’ve read your file, it’s not horrible, but there are some points for concern.” Her head shoots up and all her attention is focussed on him, which is good because now she won’t notice his accomplice scanning her bag from the next table. He continues, “We know your family's history with Stark Industries, of course.” “Of course” he shoots her a stern look for interrupting him and she visibly gulps. “Which makes it very hard to understand why you would work for the man….” He lets that settle in, waiting for her to respond. “I never worked for the man, I worked for the company…” She moves some hair behind her ear before continuing, “As for the why, I was hoping to find something, anything linking Stark” the name is spat out as if it is a curse “to the attack on New York or my house.” 

There is a fire in her eyes that is mirrored by the way her hair has started moving as if agitated. Even though she tried to tame it by putting it behind her ear. He likes that fire, his wife has something similar. It is only found in people done wrong. Well maybe not all, only the special ones. “And what were you planning on doing with that information once you found it?” “I would have brought it out, exposed him and his company for the frauds and extortionists they are.” He shows her a doubtful expression. “Tony Stark owns half the media, if not more, of New York and every other state that has a Stark Industries Branch.” She shot back an exasperated look. “Yes, I know that now.”

“Then there is the question of your other employer…” That surprises her, “Mr Whittle?” her voice rises two octaves and he cannot help but smile at that. Shaking his head, “Apart from fighting against us during the war I can assure you, your employment at Mr Whittle’s bookstore is of no concern for us. Now don’t play stupid, we have good sources. Who was your last master.” The term master clearly irks her as he keeps his eyes focussed on her, absorbing every subtle change to her demeanor. Her lips coming together to form a thin line, the frown appearing on her forehead. “You mean Loki” “Yes” “He is gone, no longer on this world, I don’t see how that could still be of concern.” Her eyes soften and sadness shows on her face. She loved him, he realizes. She loved the egomaniac that was responsible for destroying her house. If she loved him, perhaps there were also feelings the other way around. And that meant that if hydra had her in their possession, they had Loki. An ally that powerful could not be ignored. 

* * *

And that’s how Nova had found herself crossing the Atlantic ocean for the second time in her life. Third time if you counted Loki’s teleportation, but since she wasn’t sure they had actually physically crossed the ocean, she rather left that one out. From Berlin airport she had travelled by car, helicopter and then some more she couldn't remember because they drugged her. They drugged her enough so she woke up in a damp cold hall with nurses dressed in comically outdated uniforms. As she slowly turned around, taking in the sturdy stone walls and stained glass windows, there were more people waking up. There was someone at the back of the room groaning and moaning in pain. Somewhere someone in the room had thrown up, the smell making her stomach queasy, or maybe that was the lingering effects of the drugs. 

A nurse noticed her open eyes and made his way to her bed. On his way he grabbed a tray from a stacked tray holder and he dumped it unceremoniously on her lap. He picked up the file from the end of her bed as she slowly sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest as she noticed the lack of clothing. “Agent?, oh sorry, no agent yet. November. Really, that’s your name? My condolences.” He had a slight eastern-european accent and looked at her with a sceptical look. He was rather handsome, tall, broad shoulders, blonde hair and kind brown eyes with a hint of mischief. Nova shrugged, “You should hear the rest of the family.” His face broke into a smile and he extended his hand for her to shake. Which put her in a dilemma. Either let go of the blanket and possibly allow him to catch a glimpse of her chest or ignore the hand and seem like a total bitch. Carefully she extended her hand, blanked grasped in the other. “Nova” That made him very uncomfortable as he shook her hand. 

“Call me Andrei, or Nurse Andrei if you insist on titles. I will call you November.” He then leaned over conspiratorially, “Nicknames are only allowed if given by the lieutenant.” He glanced at her breast while straightening his back. “On the tray you will find some food, your uniform and your room and bed number.” He kept looking at her expectantly and Nova decided to stare right back at him. The sound of a scream followed by the smell of melted plastic disrupted their staring contest and with an “oh pask” he was gone. 

The uniform was neither comfortable nor fashionable although Nova suspected it could have been worse. It consisted of a yellow skin-tight body-suit like shirt with a green jacket not unlike the one Black Widow wore on her missions paired with matching, and as she found out later very itchy, cargo pants. Most of it was green, the colour wasn’t that horrible, a dark ocean green. No, the bad part was the belt. It was yellow, not a subtle golden-yellow but a screaming bright yellow. 

The room wasn’t as she had hoped ‘her room’ it was a dorm designated for 20 people. Ten bunk beds stood along the walls, five on each side. Each bunk bed with it’s own locker that could serve as a wardrobe and a small shelf for personal belongings. One other door led onto the bathroom, consisting of 5 stalls, two showers and three toilets, and a row of sinks. 

Her backpack was already on her bed, a manilla file on her pillow. The one in the back corner. On the top bed there was a slinky youngster with striking red hair wearing the male version of her uniform which was similar but with a baggy jacket rather than skin-tight. It looked much more comfortable and made her slightly jealous. He was reading through a similar manilla folder but looked up as she approached the bed. “You ‘November’?” She could pretty much hear the air quotes in his voice. She plastered a smile on her face “Yeah, and you are?” In one movement he sat up, crossed legged on the bed with the file closed next to him. His hand extended towards her. “I’m Robbie, Robbie Fleckman” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos or comments (I'll reply to all) if you enjoyed reading!  
> Aïnsa


	4. Nothing, it's just… uhm… very colorful?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova cleans some toilets, becomes the centre of a group hug and gets applauded, once.

As it turned out Robbie was a runaway high school student who according to himself was a drifting soul. In his short life he had plenty of run-ins with bullies and wanted to have his revenge and make sure no-one would ever have the same problems. Revenge, which seemed to be a common theme among the new hydra recruits Nova met in her first weeks. Herman de Boer and Andrew Connor had become unemployed when the SHIELD division of Europe collapsed, although it remained unknown whether they had actually worked for SHIELD or Hydra. While Nurse Andrei, Tetiana Vaganov and Elias Popov had lost friends and family in the Yugoslav Wars, mostly due to legally obtained Stark Industries weapons. So Nova's reason for enlisting didn’t stand out. 

Nova was sorted into a team of ten recruits. There were Andrew and Lena from the UK, Ross and Cristian from Germany, Herman from Holland, Bertrand from France, Tetiana from Slovenia, Elias from Hungary and Robbie and her from the States. Their life was simple, train, follow orders, don’t complain, eat and sleep whenever allowed. It was exactly like Nova had expected an army base to function, except they didn’t live in an army base, they lived in a 13th century castle in Northern Germany. Surroundings that with their fairytale and historical atmosphere would under normal circumstances excite Nova. Once, when she zoned off during a speech on the importance of cleanliness, she could almost hear the medieval sounds coming from the courtyard. However there was nothing normal about her circumstances and her zoning-out had been punished by making her clean the soldiers toilets for two weeks. 

This base, as it turned out, was one of the points where new recruits were gathered. They would be trained in simple hand-to hand combat and their other abilities would be evaluated. Which sounded very fancy for tests, physical tests, psychological evaluations, IQ tests, provoking tests to activate possible special abilities, etc.. Once in a while one member of a team would be taken to the other side of the castle, the science wing, to either go straight to the medical room, which Nova now knew was housed in the old chapel, or never be heard from again. So far none of her teammates had been given that treatment and she really didn’t look forward to the moment it was their turn. 

New recruits or recruits in general were the lowest rank amongst Hydra employees. They had to perform every dirty task there was in the castle. Cleaning, cooking, simple repairs and maintenance was all performed by them. Then there were the foot soldiers or soldiers, they guarded the perimeters, worked as bodyguards for the higher ranked members and were responsible for the safety and execution of missions. Next were the Agents of who only a few lived in the castle to train the recruits or to lead subdivisions during missions. Most of them were stationed elsewhere gathering intelligence. Medical staff were treated as if they were Agents although officially they were similarly ranked as soldiers, except for the two or three actual doctors who were treated as officers. 

Above the Agents were the officers and analysts, they each had their own quarters and were responsible for a group of recruits or soldiers. This particular base held 4 officers, one for the soldiers, one for intelligence, one for the recruits and one for the science division. Sometimes a rogue officer would come in to lead a mission. Then each base had a lieutenant, in this case Cassandra Romulus, an absolutely terrifying blonde woman whose tell-tale click-clack of her heels could be heard from miles away. So far Nova had learned that lieutenants were the second highest ranked individuals within Hydra and they were responsible for the different bases scattered throughout the world. The highest ranked being the colonel or Baron, a man named Strucker who occasionally visited the science division but was never seen by any of the recruits. Some of the bases, such as this one, held a science division which was mostly used for research into ‘medical advancement’ according to Nurse Andrei. Although Nova suspected it was human experimenting, she kept her mouth shut. The labs were run by a scientist who would answer directly to Strucker only. 

Once a month a team was allowed to go to the nearby town to decompress. Not alone of course, supervised by either an agent or an officer. Today was that day for Nova’s team and that meant no scratchy uniforms but normal clothes. Somehow it would be weird to see her teammates in something other than green. It was actually strange to wear something other than the uniform, as she pulled her gray Hamlet sweater over her head and looked at herself in the mirror. 

Unsurprisingly Elias, with his 45 years the oldest of her team, and Bertrand were already there. Elias was wearing a lumberjack shirt and worn jeans. He gave her a look over and then nodded his appreciation. His English was horrible so he only really talked to Tetiana since they spoke similar languages. Bertrand was the only French person in the entire base and used to be a sheep farmer. He also had iron nerves, just like Elias, and was dressed completely in black, making his skin look even paler than it already was. 

From her seat at the back of the lorry Nova could see the other guys approaching. Ross and Cristian were laughing about something that was clearly an inside (or possibly German) joke as Herman who was walking with them just snickered sullenly, clearly not getting it. Ross and Cristian, the two Germans on her team couldn’t be more different. Where Ross was dressed in only the color blue, Cristian seemed to have dyed his clothing in the rainbow. His pants were bright red, he wore blue sneakers, his coat was yellow and the shirt he wore underneath showed a pattern of different tones of orange and purple. Herman a Dutch former SHIELD employee wore what had probably been his former SHIELD uniform, a two-piece pinstripe suit. Thank goodness he had opted for a bit of spontaneity and left the tie behind to open the topmost button. 

Which made him look almost exactly like Andrew, also a former SHIELD employee, but from Cambridge, and Nova suspected that he had actually been an agent. Andrew who approached now with the other two women of the team flanking him. Lena who had really gone all out for today was wearing her normally tied hair loose and her make-up was accentuating her full lips. She wore a tight dress that was really doing wonders for her curves and making Nova feel like a boy with her lack of volume in the chest area. Tetiana on the other hand, the more reserved woman and just a few years older than Nova, was wearing a polka dot shirt tucked into brown jeans and a long coat over her arm, she was never cold, so Nova's suspected the coat belonged to Lena. 

Lena got in next to Nova and looked around at the others, her eyes stopping on Cristian. “Did you really do the solicitation thing in that?” Tetiana and Nova immediately understood who she was talking to but the guys looked to one and the other silently conversing who should answer. “Cristian, she means you.” Tetiana helped them. He gave her a bright smile before turning to Lena. “Something wrong with it?” he asked in an almost innocent tone, which meant he was going to have a dangerous comeback if she didn’t back down quickly. Lena picked up on that as she quickly replied: “Nothing, it's just… uhm… very colorful?”. Elias snickered as Tetiana translated softly for him, something that after a month was no longer necessary but she still did out of habit. Christian just gave them his brightest smile and made a flourisant bow. 

The conversation continued as everyone started suggesting things to do for the day. In the excitement of their day off, no-one noticed the youngest member of their team sneaking up on them wearing a baseball cap and a Washington wizards T-shirt. With a loud yell he jumped into the van, causing all but Elias and Bertrand to shout in surprise or in the case of Herman physically jump. Bertrand's rumbling laugh was the first to sound through the van as he fist-bumped Robbie, probably having been the mastermind behind the practical joke. The others soon followed and the agent assigned to join them smiled as he saw the bonding group at the back of the van. This was what hydra was supposed to be, a place for people of all backgrounds to bond. 

The town was larger than Nova had expected, it had a rather large square with little bars and restaurants on the side. The side streets were covered with stores, from standard retail clothing and beauty products to bookstores and an army dump. Most of the afternoon was spent sitting on one of the terraces relaxing and shopping. Lena and Tetiana had quickly gone shopping and both came back with multiple bags. Nova had dragged Bertrand with her to the bookstore and now her backpack was considerably heavier with her new purchases. She had even gone into a jewelry store to buy a chain for the little rock she still had as a memoir to Loki. Herman and Andrew had gone to the army dump to see if they could buy some old SHIELD equipment and Robbie had somewhere found a skateboard and was entertaining those on the terrace with tricks he could do, he was actually surprisingly good. 

After dinner they went to the bowling alley where to everyone's surprise Elias convinced them to go disco-bowling. Tetiana at this point revealed she had bought everyone a little gift and started handing them all personalized, one-size-fits-all T-shirts. Nova’s read: “I warn you, if you bore me, I shall take my revenge” followed by “J.R.R. Tolkien”. Showing that Tetiana had really done her homework on their preferences. Nova loved the shirt, she loved the quote and she was overwhelmed by guilt knowing that she would inevitably betray this group of friends. She teared up a little at the thoughts, which resulted in a group hug. 

The evening ended in the bar of the bowling alley where Andrew had attempted to out-drink Tetiana, and failed. He now lay sleeping it off with his head on Bertrand's shoulder. Herman and Bertrand had been watching and cheering at the football, or for Nova and Robbie soccer, match being broadcasted on the screen. Nova had started a heated discussion with Cristian and Lena on gay rights, even though they all agreed on the matter, while Elias and Tetiana were teaching Robbie, Ross and the agent, Antonio, a drinking game that involved shouting “piće” every so often. Robbie participated unknowingly with alcohol-free beer after Tetiana noticed him getting rather tipsy from the alcohol. After all he was a minor in the states and hadn’t been popular enough to be invited to any parties, so his experience with alcohol was limited.

Back at the base Cristian and Bertrand being the strongest of the group hauled Andrew, who was awake but only just, in his top bed. Tetiana handed out glasses of water for everyone to drink and hopefully stave off the hangover and Herman was helping Ross who was puking his guts out in the toilet. Lena had started to remove her make-up as Nova helped Robbie into his bed and Elias was escorting Antonio to the Agent quarters. Life continued as usual. 

* * *

The dinner table was bustling with excitement as Nova took her seat, a few days later, after cleaning the toilets for what she hoped was the last time of her punishment. She was ready to wolf down her food, not being given extra time. Robbie was bouncing on his seat, unable to keep still. Lena and Tetiana had already given the remainder of their plates to Andrew and Ross, who were still happily eating, Herman and Cristian were quietly conversing amongst themselves in what Nova suspected was German. Bertrand and Elias were the only ones not showing any particular excitement, which wasn’t surprising, but Nova could see Bertrand's dark eyes glitter excitedly behind his glasses. There was an extra person sitting at their table. An agent by the looks of his uniform. He had short blonde hair and when he spoke his accent was American. 

“Good, now that we are finally complete.” He shot Nova a dark look that made her gulp. Great, she hadn’t even done anything and he already hated her. “We have a mission tomorrow.” He looked around the table, his eyes boring into every single one of them. “A prisoner has escaped from a base south-east of ours. We believe he is trying to flee to the States since we have lost power there. We cannot let that happen. We will be working with two teams on this one since the prisoner is a highly trained and enhanced individual.” A soft murmur spread around the table and Tetiana gasped audibly. “However, that is for the soldiers to achieve.” He smirked at the sigh of relief that followed. “So, what is our objective?” Andrew, being more experienced as a former SHIELD agent asked. 

“We are logistics.” That statement was met with confused looks from everyone except Bertrand ,Andrew, Herman and Elias, the last one didn’t seem to have any other expression than neutral-grumpy and neither Bertrand or Elias was ever surprised by anything. “We are responsible for transport, communications with the base and damage control.” his tone as if explaining something to a group of toddlers really irked Nova. Her mouth still full of the rather tasteless stew she arched one eyebrow and responded “What exactly does damage control mean?” That earned her another stern look and she quickly swallowed her food. “As your superior, recruit, I expect to be treated with respect. As for your question, this is a secret mission. Any civilian who finds out can potentially go to our enemies and therefore need to be neutralized.” 

“I refuse!” Silence. Not only their table but everyone in the dining hall seemed to be holding their breath. Nova got up from her bench, the food all but forgotten. “I didn’t join in to shoot innocent people. I came to make sure no more innocents were shot! If we go around shooting innocents who might or might not tell our enemies we are no better than they are.” She looked around the dining hall, all eyes were focused on her. She couldn’t stop now, she had never shot anyone before and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start with innocent bystanders. “Hydra is a dream for a better world where innocents don’t have to suffer because some rich guy calling the shots doesn’t value their lives. We have to show people we are better than that! If they believe in us, they will keep our secrets for us.” 

A slow clap came from somewhere behind her and she whirled around to the officer standing there. She had never seen him before, so he was probably there to run the operation. He had a smile on his face and was flanked by a team of soldiers. Too late to back out now. “And how do you propose we win their trust? We do not have time for that, the mission is tomorrow and the fiasco in Washington” His eyes darted shortly to the agent sitting at their table. “has ensured we will not be trusted for a while. Do you have another suggestion on how to spare their lives?” He kept stalking towards her, his mean smile now an almost predatory grin. Nova’s breath came as if she just ran a marathon, adrenaline coursing through her body. Even so she could feel all the blood rush away from her face, her hands started trembling and her knees felt ready to buckle at any moment. “We could lure them away with a diversion?“ Her voice sounded small. 

“Ha!” The officer threw his head back in surprise at her bravery. At the same time he signaled his men and they surrounded her within seconds. There was no way she could win a fight with ten soldiers, so she immediately raised her hands. That didn’t help as she was dragged away from the table and they started beating her. She doubled over as the first baton struck her stomach. She tried to protect her head and vital organs, curling herself into a ball. They hit hard, where they knew it hurt but wouldn’t cause any lasting damage. A good blow to her head and then it stopped, everything stopped. No sounds, no pain, just nothing. She was blissfully unaware how her limp body was dragged out of the dining hall, down a couple of stairs and thrown into one of the old dungeon prisons. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Don't forget to leave Kudos and/or a comment if you enjoyed.  
> I will reply to all comments, of course.  
> Constructive criticism, tips, tops and requests are also welcome  
> Aïnsa


	5. How you must have come to regret that decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova prays, Loki solves a mystery and Frigga visits Earth.

The hard and slightly damp surface touching Nova’s cheek was strangely pleasant. It was cold, cooling her cheekbone. Her head felt as if someone was playing loud music while she had a hangover, a bad hangover. Her breathing didn’t change as she slowly gained consciousness. Something she learned during her short spy training. Listening to her surroundings to gain a bearing and to identify possible threats. Somewhere to her right there was the soft rhythmic sound of dripping and a soft scratching sound far to her right, nothing else. Convinced she was alone she slowly opened her eyes. One of them only opened a crack. It was dark, a soft, sterile white light shone from a lamp onto the wet stone floor. As quietly as she could she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her head remained stuck to the tiles for just a moment. 

Her head hurt worse now and a wave of nausea made itself known, she pushed the feeling away, ignoring it. Taking stock of the rest of her body, her upper arms and shins felt as if run over by a bulldozer and her ribs on the right side hurt like hell. She was able to move all her muscles although rather stiffly. So probably nothing broken and no nerve damage. Her hand went to her head, feeling the placate of blood and the warmth of a fresh dribble. It was now that she looked at her surroundings more closely. In front of her was a corner, one wall made of stone, the other made of steel bars. As she turned her head, three out of the four walls were made of the steel bars, enclosing her in a cell. On the stone wall hung a wooden bench and in the corner was a bucket. Great, she was in the most primitive prison she’d ever seen. The cells on her left and right had similar furniture and there were three cells in total. In front of the cells was a small walkway to reach the doors of the prisons. No guards, but a tiny red light above a reflecting circle above the door showed why. 

This was bad, very bad. The thick walls canceled out every sound from the castle and since they were underground there was no natural light reaching her to tell time. How long had she been here? Hours? Perhaps a day? A scurrying sound startled her and she whipped her head. Only to immediately catch herself on her hands as the nausea overwhelmed her. Slowly she raised her head in the direction of the sound, only to see a rat the size of a small cat look back straight at her. A shiver ran down her spine and she scooted back to the stone wall. Pulling up her legs she supported her head on her arms and knees as she thought. 

Not only had she not found any information whatsoever that could help the avengers. They wouldn’t come for her for another five months or so. She had failed her mission. Hydra was sure to find out now that she worked against them. They would give her a public execution, to spread the warning. Or perhaps not and just send her eyeballs back to the states. She hadn’t even been able to send one letter of information to Natasha, not yet being allowed outside contacts. 

For the first time in a long while her thoughts go to Loki. Had he felt like she does now, in his last moments? During his imprisonment on earth? Her hand goes to the pendulum with the little rock. Loki would have been able to get out. Loki would have been able to get her out. With his silver tongue and unparalleled wit. 

* * *

Loki is bored. No bored is not the right word. He was stultified. He had now been imprisoned for at least four months and no-one had come to visit him except Frigga. Or more precisely her illusion. And even she had come only twice so far. Leaving him a few books which would be exchanged by a maid. Yes his weekly human contact was a silent maid who brought him new books. His daily contact was a guard who brought his food, also silent. No-one was to talk to him. Odin was afraid his silver tongue would get him unearned privileges or in the worst case, out. 

He had spent his time reading. Asgardian literature, science, politics. Even some midgardian literature and non-literature for which he had acquired a taste during his time there. His seidr was not restrained within the walls of his cell. He had practiced, acquired new spells. It had gotten stronger, less noticeable to outsiders. He had also kept up his physical shape, training with his knives. The only thing missing was his armor that had been taken from him. He was no longer a prince of Asgard, he no longer deserved to wear such an extravagant symbolic armor. They had given him one of his pyjama’s, leather breeches, a simple long-sleeved wrap tunic, a leather vest and some simple footwear. All the clothing had been magic-proofed but, just to spite Odin, he had managed to change the left sleeve of the tunic to show ridges as those of the Frost Giants.

A soft ripple in the seidr surrounding him and his cell alerted him to his visitor. Frigga, or more precisely her illusion, looked at him from the opposite corner from where he had been seated on the chair. He had been reading in the works of a certain J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote of a wonderful world with elves and wizards. Unbeknownst to him one of the books Nova had brought with her to Germany. It was only then, as he looked into his moth-, no Frigga’s eyes that he noticed the rippling of his seidr hadn’t stopped. He felt it scrupulously. He easily identified the ripples caused by Frigga and her illusion, but there was something more. Something he hadn’t felt for a very long time and certainly wasn’t supposed to feel within the confinements of his cell. 

Not showing how his mind was occupied with this delightfully distracting mystery he put aside his book and rose from his seated position. Even though he couldn’t touch the illusion, he still wanted to make the effort to greet her properly. Even if he hadn’t wanted it, she was still the queen and therefore required a proper greeting. Her eyes shone with sadness as she looked at him. He hated that look, it made him feel all soft and guilty inside. Something he didn’t want to feel, or at least not because of her. Had she not been the one to condemn him to life in prison? 

Yes, Odin had said he was still alive because of her. That had not been mercy. Mercy would have been the axe. He followed the thread of seidr with his own, trying to pinpoint its origin. A visible shock went through his body as he heard the mentally uttered prayer. Only someone with a personal connection could call upon him. He saw her. Just a flash. A dark, damp, cold pit below some old midgardian structure. The pain, the desperation, the inevitability of the upcoming death. She probably wasn’t even aware she was doing it. 

“Loki, are you well?” There was more worry now in Frigga’s eyes as she must have seen the tremor when he recognized the prayer. “What a ludicrous question.” He paused for a moment, trying to send some comfort to Nova. It bounced right back from the walls of his cell, hurting him when it struck. “Of course I’m not well. I’m locked up in the deepest caverns of Asgard only to be forgotten and die of old age or boredom because of your wish.” She sighed, giving him a moment to regain his posture. 

“You know, my son, that it was never my intention to condemn you to such a life.” This was the first time she admitted that and Loki froze. Was she regretting persuading Odin to keep him alive? Had she finally realized how this life was the exact opposite of mercy when compared to a swift death? How it was eating him alive that he could get signals from the outside without being able to interfere? Yes his intentions might not always have been perfectly honorable. But neither were those of the likes of Thor and his band of miscreants. For some reason however, their faults were more easily overlooked. 

That must be it, she must have finally realized that compared to Thor and his current heroic scheme of saving the nine realms. The evidence of which passed him daily in the form of new prisoners from the corners of the known worlds. Filthy thieves and murderers, bandits and scoundrels, even the occasional monster was brought in. He was not worth keeping alive. He scowled inwardly, could she not have figured that out before? “How you must have come to regret that decision.” He felt her seidr touch him in an attempt at comfort. 

Her eyes widened as she felt the now quickly diminishing thread connecting him to midgard. A softer look came over her eyes as she again stepped closer. Her seidr embraced him as Nova’s thread fell away. Either she had stopped praying or she had lost her conscience. He wasn’t sure which one. Worst of all was that Frigga now knew. She knew of his mortal, his midgardian ally. Information he had strategically kept to himself. For if Odin found out it would only be a matter of time before Nova was brought to Asgard and used as a means to keep him in line. Worst of all, he was afraid it would work. “Who is she?” 

He lowered his head, hiding his facial expressions from her. Fighting the tears at the thought of Nova facing death without him able to do so much as comfort her. “Are you surprised, mother, that I have been able to find an ally amongst the midgardians?” His voice was sounding hoarser than he would like to admit. She held him with her seidr, pressing him close to her magically strengthened illusion. “Not in the slightest my boy, not in the slightest.” She hadn’t called him that in many years. How he had longed to hear that voice, those words in his recent exile.

“Tell me about her”

* * *

It had been over a millennium ago since she last visited midgard. In that time a lot had changed on what she remembered had been a green and ever-changing little planet. Although the green had been greatly diminished, as she had witnessed on her short stop in New York, the changing, however, had only accelerated. She could see why Loki had found a liking for the planet, chaos was inevitable. The place where she was now held less tall buildings although the green was still all man-made. It was the capital of the country Sweden, not where she originally landed. She had tried to find the old settlement of Birka, a trading station she had visited many years ago. It didn’t exist anymore and with one of the tourists groups she had traveled to the capital. 

She was lost. Which was absolutely ridiculous as she was a goddess. Odin had forbidden them from visiting earth, stating that their mingling would only cause harm. Being the good and faithful wife she now regretted she had been, she had listened. A good wife didn’t just listen to their husband, she must always question him. Or at least that is what Eir always told her. Then again her friend could easily say such things as she had never married. Frigga however regretted not listening to those words earlier. Her fear, that Odin had lost his perspective, had slowly manifested. He had convinced her to keep secrets from her sons. He had convinced her not to interfere with the worlds and natures she loved so much. 

She regretted it. She regretted staying by his side. Yes she loved him. She would never leave him. But that didn’t mean she would have to support his every decision. She could have done something, behind his back. Just as she did now. She was one of the most powerful sorceress of the nine realms. It was her duty as queen of Asgard, as princess of Vanaheim, as adoptive queen-mother of Jotunheim to help protect those worlds. Adoptive queen-mother of Jotunheim… She smiled at her own thoughts. Yes, she would proudly carry that title, just like she was still proud to be Loki’s mother. She should have told him. Told him his heritage. Rather than the stories she grew up with about the war with Jotunheim. Perhaps his fall had been even more her fault than it was Odins. Odin, focused on his throne and his favorite son, had never really paid much attention to Loki. He perhaps never had a good opportunity. She had, she knew she had. 

Here she was, on a world she hadn’t visited in years. Trying to repay some of those past mistakes. Well maybe that was not the only reason. Loki had spoken to her, freely, about her. This mortal woman, and although he wasn't ready to admit it, he was developing feelings for her. This of course delighted Frigga. There was finally a woman who could enamor her darling son. She was curious, no curious was an understatement. She wanted to know everything about this woman. However hiding herself from Heimdal cost a constant amount of energy and she didn’t have much time before someone would miss her in the palace. Also if someone was to find out she went looking for this particular mortal, questions would be asked. Questions that would put her, Nova as Loki had called her, in danger. She was not going to risk that. 

* * *

The sound of heavy footsteps and rattling keys woke Nova up as she looked around her in the cell. She had curled herself up on the wooden bench, away from the rat and the cold floor and fallen asleep. She now looked up as the iron door of her cell was opened by the same agent she had offended at dinner. He was flanked by Nurse Andrei and Tetiana, both wearing worried expressions as they rushed past him to Nova. Tetiana’s right cheekbone had a strange shadow that had not been there the last time she remembered. Or perhaps it had been, her head hurt too much to say for sure. She vaguely registered that they shouldn’t have worried expressions, they should be furious at her for betraying them. She was glad however, she couldn’t deal with angry screaming right now. Especially not from her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.   
> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Don't forget to leave kudo's or a comment if you want.  
> I will reply to all comments!
> 
> Stay safe  
> Ainsa


	6. News from Europe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova writes a report and shares a bed, Steve blushes and the Allfather has a restless night.

“Oh please, stop whining.” Tetiana says, looking over from where she is stitching up a nasty cut on Ross’ arm. “Yeah, you are not the one who got shot” It’s Bertrand, laying on one of the emergency beds while Andrew is removing a bullet from his right leg. Nova shakes her head, looking up from her pile of paperwork that she had been softly groaning to herself about. No-one had told her being an agent involved this much paperwork, for every mission. And the missions such as this last one, where Murphy's law was predominantly working, involved at least twice as much. Which was exactly why she was still working on it now, on their flight back.

Not only had she had a fight with the local officer, a pompous man with not enough power for someone of his position, or posture, since he looked very out of place in the field. He had been trying to make her go back to killing civilians on sight, stating that the idiots were not good enough to live in the world Hydra would create for them if they were stupid enough to get in the way. She suspected him of ordering the rest of the teams to actively work against her plans. Two civilians had to be shot after seeing how the stolen goods were taken back. A task given to Elias who had the least trouble with it and who was possibly their best shot. Ross had gotten hurt trying to calm down an angry mob that had formed as a consequence to the shot civilians. Bertrand had gotten caught in the crossfire as one of the soldiers from another team mistook him for a civilian. Luckily the woman had been a terrible shot, as she had miraculously missed everything of importance. 

Currently, Lena and Herman were flying the plane they were using to get back to Germany. Elias and Robbie were cleaning the gear while Christian was assisting Andrew. And Nova, Nova is sitting on the only desk on the plane, working through the paperwork. Sadly you cannot write down that a member of your team got shot because someone else was an incapable bitch, or she would have finished hours ago. 

As an Agent she was now in charge of her own team. Her team that had become specialized in damage control after the first mission was a success only because Elias shot twelve civilians. That had been the mission where Nova had refused. That evening when they had retrieved her from her prison cell, she had seen how the officer responsible for the mission was shot upon return. The mission had succeeded, only because of Nova’s team of recruits and only because they had done everything they could to prevent civilians from getting too close. Which was actually going against direct orders from the aforementioned officer. Even so, twelve civilians shot had meant a hell of a lot of work covering it up. 

Nova had been brought to the lieutenants office where the agent who had tried to put her in her place at the dinner table had praised her to an almost ridiculous extent. As compensation for her night in the cell she had been promoted to lead her team. Her team, the people she had trained with so long were now hers to command. The only one making a fuss of it was Andrew, who had hoped to gain such a promotion himself, with his experience as agent. But even he had kept his mouth shut after their second mission was an enormous success. 

Usually the missions involved something Hydra needed that had to be stolen from some high security hospital or research center. Sometimes it involved escaped prisoners or gone-rogue agents. This last mission however was special. It wasn’t anything Hydra needed. According to the files, a client had found some of his equipment missing from the latest shipment and had asked Hydra help by retrieving it. It sparked Nova’s interest as Hydra didn’t have clients, only allies. Or at least, not that she was aware of. Secondly, the client had personally asked for a damage control team where the whole operation was concerning a transaction where hydra would buy the stolen goods from the thieves. In hindsight these kinds of missions were never this easy and her team had had their work cut out for them.

She finished the last lines on her report before continuing with her letter to Natasha. As an agent, some outside contact was allowed. Finally. Thus she had been writing about the location of their home base, and now she could for the first time indulge the location of a second base, meaning the letter was finally ready to be sent. 

* * *

Nothing about Natasha’s demeanor would tell you anything was off. Yet Clint knew her long enough to see something was bothering her as she took off her electroshock bracelets. He checked his bow for the probably not last time on residual blood or grime before walking over. Crouching down in front of where she was sitting on the bench he looked at her face. It made her uncomfortable that he could see when something was off. “It’s nothing” he sighed, “It’s not nothing if it’s bothering you.” She looked up, her eyes boring into his. “Tell me, at least get it off your chest.” 

She averted her eyes as she loosened the strap of her right bracelet. “Its…” At that moment Steve opened the door to check on them. “We arrive in 10, you need anything?” “Nah” Clint replied with a tone that hinted this was not their first rodeo. They were on their way back from New Mexico, where they had destroyed what hopefully was the last Hydra base on the North American continent. “Any news from the others?” Steve focused on Natasha. “Only negatives from New Zealand and nothing from the rest.” That piqued Clint’s interest. “Nothing? Not a word?” She shook her head as Steve closed the door behind him. 

“It’s supposed to take time right? Win their trust, be allowed to have outside contact. They are probably suspicious of everyone right now.” It was nice of him to try and cheer her up. “That or we made a judgement error and she is now running with hydra against us.” Natasha’s head whipped around to face Clint. “I don’t think so.” She didn’t sound sure though as she faced Steve again. “Yes usually it takes time, but it’s been going for four months and I’ve heard nothing.” Clint shrugged, “maybe they found her out and killed her?” He saw how Steve suppressed a shudder. “They would have made a spectacle out of it, sent us a message.” 

There was a pause as they all got lost in their thoughts. “No, I don’t think they’ve found her out, but if I have to wait much longer I'm going to see what I can find myself.” Resolutely ending the conversation Natasha got up and stuffed her bracelets in her bag. “Now if you gentlemen don’t mind, I’d like to get out of this sweaty suit.” “Uh yeah sure, I’ll go check on Bruce...” with reddening cheeks Steve made his way out of the room. Clint couldn’t help the smile on his face. “Really? He can kill a guy with his shield without blinking an eye but once you even mention taking your clothes off he changes into a blushing prude.” Natasha smiled at him, raising her eyebrow suggestively. “Yes, and your lack of movement suggests you are going to stay to see the show?” He huffed at her cocky expression before turning and leaving the small space.

It was indeed only a few minutes before JARVIS landed the plane backwards into the Avengers tower. Maria Hill was standing there in her new uniform, making her look like a secretary. She was waving her tablet triumphantly as the gangway of the ship opened up and the earthly Avengers came out. Rather than focusing on Steve, as she normally would, she walked straight past him to Natasha, pushing the tablet into her hands. “News from Europe.” 

On the screen was a photo of a handwritten letter addressed to the contact in Germany. It spoke of a new job with some difficulties. And attached was a flyer of a holiday location close to Campobasso, Italy with the note that even though the recent news might not be very positive, the writer was absolutely sure the location was safe for a vacation and that there was a lovely castle and amazing hike route closeby. 

By the time Natasha had read the note three times, ensuring herself that she had absorbed all the information possible, Tony and Bruce had long retreated to the labs while the door just closed after Steve and Maria who were probably discussing the successful raid they just finished. Clint was leaning against one of the walls, visibly tired but waiting for her to finish. 

“I take it the news is good?” She smiled in response, handing him the tablet. As his eyes darted over the screen she bumped her shoulder to his. “I told you she would do good.” He raised his eyebrow as if impressed by the letter before lowering the tablet. “I guess we know our next location.” He smiled and she returned it. “Yeah, but not today, it can wait a little longer. I want more intel first.” His smile turned into a grin “Sure, also it wouldn’t hurt to wait for a bit of divine backup.” 

* * *

The blaring sounds of the alarm woke the Allfather and his wife from their peaceful sleep. Odin groaned as he sat up, waiting for one of the staff to tell him what was happening and if he needed to see to the manner personally. Frigga seemed to ignore the sounds, turning to her side and keeping her eyes closed. “If it is that ridiculous boy of yours again….” Odin grumbled, not finishing his threat. He swore he saw one of the corners of her mouth twitch in response. Truth be told, there wasn’t much else he could do to Loki, making the threat even more empty. 

Just as quickly as the alarm had started, it also stopped. Leaving an eerie silence behind. Odin could hear people walking past the doors to his chamber, but nothing beyond that. Yes, he had given his eye for knowledge. That hadn’t stopped his old age from meddling with his senses. He strained to hear more. To see anything beyond the silvery shadows cast by the moonlight shining through the windows. 

A soft knock on the door woke him from his concentration and he made an affirmative sound. The man who came in, one of the einherjar, was in charge of the prisons. Odin groaned inwardly as he indiscreetly woke his wife. It was that ridiculous boy of hers. “False alarm, your majesty” The guard spoke after a signal from Odin. “Then what set off the alarm?” Odin was jealous at how awake his wife looked and sounded. Completely in control, her beautiful golden hair still perfectly braided. The einherjar turned to her. “One of the new guards stationed there sounded it, he saw a prisoner outside of the cells.” 

Odin immediately fought with the various blankets and furs to get his feet out of the bed. “Then how is this a false alarm?!?” He roared. Frigga pulled a face in response. The einherjar made a calming motion “The prisoner in question was still in his cell your majesty.” Frigga perked up at those words as Odin calmed down just a bit. “The one who sounded the alarm saw another guard walking up to him, wearing the illusion of one of the prisoners.”

Frigga couldn’t help the small smile of pride on her face as she realized what must have happened now. The last few weeks at least once every two days the alarm had sounded over something happening inside of Loki’s cell. Either the cell had seemed empty, the only occupant had been dead or dying or her personal favorite, the inhabitant had been one of the einherjar, resulting in them opening the cell only to discover their mistake. None of those times had Loki actually tried to get out of the cell. It seemed he had only tricked them out of boredom. Or perhaps he had been testing his limits. 

And now he was able to manipulate not only the interior of his cell, but also some space outside of it. The magic blocking walls were no longer strong enough to keep him and his powers inside. Despite her tiredness and lack of sleep due to the many alarms in the past weeks, she couldn’t help but be proud of him. Odin must have sensed her mood as he shot her a crossed look. He then turned to the einherjar still standing before them. 

The man had gone nervous with the lack of reaction from the royal pair. Or more precise, the lack of reaction towards him. “Double the power for the prison walls.” He bowed “Yes, my liege” “And once my son, Thor, returns from his quest in Vanaheim, we will come down and inspect the dungeons. I expect you to make everything in order before that.” “Of course, my liege.” bowing the man shuffled backwards to the door and left. 

“Not much good can come from disturbing the power field too much, my love.” Frigga frowned her brow as she took her husband's face in her hands. The power field was not only responsible for keeping the prisoners inside the dungeons but also powered the Bifrost and shielded the city and the palace in times of war. “Perhaps not, but almost all outside threats are taken care of. Once our son is back home none will remain.” She looked into his eye, unable to tell him what she had seen. “If you are sure.” He took her hands away from his face, not noticing the ominous warning in her eyes. “It’s that damned boy of yours. I’m not sure whether it would have been better if I’d have had him killed.” Frigga gasped “Don’t say such things. That is your anger talking.” He smiled wrangly. “It would have ensured more restful nights.” 

She got up from her bed. Walked around it and kneeled in front of Odin, taking his hands in hers. “I know you are unwilling to believe so. But I’ve seen grand things in the future for our boy.” “ _ Your  _ boy” “Asgard will perish without him. I have seen it, Love, please.” She begged him. She begged him again as she had so many months ago, for the life of her son and the future she had seen but was unable to communicate. However she was afraid that soon Odin would no longer listen and all would be lost.

* * *

A soft knock on the door woke Bertrand from his uncomfortable slumber. Still half sleeping he replied. “Entrez” Too dizzy to notice how he fell back to his primary language. It didn’t matter, the person knocking obviously understood as the door opened and the tall woman, precariously balancing a tray in one hand entered the room. He was currently the only occupant of the ten person dorm. One side had been closed off with some curtains to give the three women on the team some privacy and he was currently not even in his own bed, but in one of theirs. The curtains provided him with some privacy and were helping not to disturb his rest as the others filed back in tonight. 

He figured the rest of the team were downstairs in the cafeteria eating dinner. What he wouldn’t give to be with them. November looked at him, guilt pooling in her eyes as she gently set the tray down on the bedside table and pulled over a low stool. He hated this predicament. The mission had been sabotaged, they all knew it. Ross had been stabbed and he himself had got shot. He wanted to scoff, he wasn't just shot, he got shot by an ally. The only reason he wasn’t dead was because the woman had had terrible aim and the Nurse had quickly enough figured out that he was suffering from hemophilia. Of course he had known that, it was also in his medical file. He had had the condition his entire life, a very mild form, almost symptomless. Nevertheless he bruised easily and the bruises would take a little more time to disappear, but he had never experienced anything like this. 

They had propped him on Tetiana's bed, his leg raised to keep the wound above his heart. Due to a new batch of recruits coming in the medical bay held no room for him. That was not all. His teammates were responsible for him, for his care. They were all downstairs. Instead now seated in front of him was their Agent. A young woman with kind, but tired eyes and a mischievous smile that made those eyes sparkle all the brighter. Now she was not smiling however. She was frowning as he propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a shaky smile. “Are you alright?” He hated how he felt, he had lost over one liter of blood and he felt weak, shaky, his limbs were extremely heavy and his head felt fuzzy due to the painkillers they had given him. Unnecessarily in his opinion since the pain hadn’t really bothered him. 

The words formed sluggish in his mouth, as if he had been drinking too much. For a moment he saw that sparkle back in her eyes before the sadness, the guilt seemed to smother it again. “Am I not supposed to be the one asking you?” He tried to shrug but winced as the movement jostled his leg. It hurt, despite the painkillers, good, that meant he was still alive. She picked up the pillow from the bed above and helped him sit more upright so he could eat his soup. Soup, he had lost a liter of blood and instead of giving him proteins the kitchen had decided to serve soup. He inwardly growled at the incompetence of the German kooks. It was in moments like this that he missed his home country and the coq au vin or confit de canard his partner used to make for him. 

He wrinkled his nose as he took the soup. Trying and failing to keep his hands from shaking. “Are you going to answer my question?” He looked from his shaking hands to her face. She looked worriedly as she reached out with her hands, steadying the bowl. “Are you going to need help with that?” That was clear, she didn’t want to answer his question. That was fine. What wasn’t fine was that there was no way he was going to eat this soup without spilling while his hands were shaking as if he was suffering from Parkinson's. “Oui, please.” Nom de Dieu, he felt like a helpless child.

She took the bowl back and started to feed him as he surrendered to his faith. Tomorrow he should be stronger. Her eyes darted between him and the spoon, a clear indication that she found the situation uncomfortable. He tried to make her feel more comfortable, slurping his soup and nibbling on the bread as if he were a hamster. It didn’t help and even though the food did him well he tired quickly and just looked at the food until he was finished. She started to remove the bowl and extra pillows, helping him lie down again. She reminded him of his partner's little sister. She had been one of the people not surviving the terrorist attacks before he joined Hydra, along with her brother. She had been so young, just like the girl in front of him. Not even mid-twenties with a fire in her eyes and a drive to make the world better. A burden they would willingly take on their shoulders, not knowing how heavy it was until it had crushed them. Crushed by the guilt that they should have done more while they couldn’t, he knew that feeling all too well. 

November had gathered the remains of his dinner on the tray and was ready to leave. He took her wrist in his hand. “Stay” She looked surprised but sat back down. He didn’t release her however. Forcing her to look at him. “It’s not your fault you know? There was nothing you could have done.” She looked at the floor, tears forming in her eyes. “Hey, hey,” He shushed her and pulled her to him. Using more strength than necessary, more strength than he knew he had. She ended up falling on top of him, a soft grunt came over his lips but rather than letting her get up he pulled her closer and hugged her to his shoulder. She needed it. She needed to let go, to know it was not her fault. Her body started shaking as the tears came out. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He rocked her gently from side to side as the tears subsided. Holding her all the time. She kept repeating but he ignored it, helping her let it all out until she was completely exhausted and fell asleep then and there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you enjoying the story so far?  
> Don't forget to leave Kudos and/or comments!  
> Aïnsa


	7. SILENCE!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova meets an old acquaintance and wears a skirt, two monsters lock eyes.

“Well if it isn’t…” Nova ignores the voice that sets her heart racing as she passes the man in the hallway. She doesn’t recognise him. Perhaps she would if she had seen his face, but she hadn’t and therefore she doesn’t know him. Right? She cannot be recognised here, not by anyone from her past. It would endanger her, endanger her mission. The voice fades away. Heavy footsteps follow her. “I’m not used to being ignored.” a heavy hand, clad in metal falls on her shoulder. Her heart stops as she is held still. Both by the hand and by her own fear. Slowly she is turned around, her heart hammering away in her chest. There, now, in front of her, towering over her, is the metallic figure of Dr Doom. Her eyes are wide with shock as she looks at his mask. “You look like a deer caught in headlights.” 

Slowly she shakes her head, getting herself out of her daze. “Please, walk with me.” He orders as he turns back to the direction he was going previously. She follows, still slightly dazed. Apprehensive of what is about to happen. He is taking very long strides, forcing her to almost jog behind him. “I had not expected to find you here. What happened to your previous boss?” He doesn’t look at her, instead he shortens his pace somewhat, allowing her to finally catch up with him. Doesn’t he watch the news? The whole world should know that the criminal Loki is back on Asgard, sitting out his sentence. “He… uhm, he is in prison” 

He threw his head back, barking out a laugh. Somehow she doubted whether he was actually amused at her answer. “Of course he is. And you were smart enough not to follow him there.” She shrugged, still unsure as to what he wanted. It was not like she could have actually followed him to Asgard. It was not like it had been her choice to be left behind. She grinded her teeth together. “I am wondering however, how on earth you ended up here.” He stops in his tracks, turning to her. Practically caging her in in the narrow hallway. “I volunteered, had a job interv-” “No! Not that part, I know that part. I mean why you are still an Agent?” 

She blinks her eyes, not believing what he is saying. Not following where he is going with his train of thought. He catches it, continuing “You worked for what was probably the intergalactic mastermind according to the Avengers. And yet here you are nothing but an Agent.” He started walking again, expecting her to follow. “You have just received your own team and if it weren’t for you those last few missions would have gone horrible. Not to mention how you managed everything during the mission in Italy.” That makes her look up, no-one in this base knows about Italy except her team and the lieutenant. “Oh yes, I know about that. The goods were mine you see. I’m here to collect them, finish my business with the lieutenant.” 

“Ah, well, then I will no longer hold you up.” She stops, ready to turn and walk away. “Nonsense, you are to come with me. The lieutenant should be ashamed not having used such valuable resources to their full potential.” Great, now she was a resource, she preferred being just an Agent. She didn’t want to pull too much attention to herself. She had to be invisible, blend in, not stand out. She could feel a ball of nerves settling in her stomach. 

* * *

From his cell, Loki watches the prisoners file past. Another great win for Thor on Vanaheim. Vanaheim which has been tormented by bandits ever since the great Odin fell in the Odinsleep. But somehow of course the old hag had twisted it into being Loki’s fault. Must be such a convenience to be able to blame someone for all these misfortunes, for all your own mistakes. He sighed before composing himself. 

“Odin continues to bring me new friends.” He stops just before the barrier, looking at the collection of miscreants he shares his now forever home with. “How thoughtful…” “The books I sent, do they not interest you?” He turns to speak to his visitor. Frigga, the only one so far to visit him from his former allies. And even she cannot visit him in person. Instead it is a projection he is looking at. The knowledge fills him with more hate than he wants to admit. 

She moves towards him and he positions himself so there is a chair between them. “Is that how I am to while away eternity? Reading?” He hates that he is locked up here, forgotten by all but Frigga, and Odin in case the latter needs a scapegoat apparently. “I’ve done everything in my power to make you comfortable.” 

He wants to shout, he wants to do something, anything to have an outlet. Apparently Frigga’s power is even less than he thought. “Have you?” Yes he has his private cell, even one with furniture and she regularly sends him books. But that is literally all she has been able to do. He leans towards her over his chair, mocking her “Does Odin share your concern?” 

She remains quiet, giving him the motherly warning look that he is approaching a boundary he really doesn’t want to break. But he is Loki, and he has had enough of being crammed up in small spaces with nothing to do but read. Yes, for a while he could enjoy himself by tricking the guards, but with the stronger barrier even that was now history. And now finally he can focus his energy on something else, even if that means targeting the only woman who had loved him as a child. 

“Does Thor?” He lets that settle for just a moment before looking to her left, fake concern lacing his voice. “It must be so inconvenient, them asking after me day and night.” Her face doesn’t change although he knows he has crossed the line. “You know full well that your actions brought you here.” “My actions?” He made a dismissive gesture before walking the few steps he could to the other side of the cell. They didn’t know the truth. They couldn’t know the truth. They wouldn’t believe the truth. “I was merely giving truth to the lie that I’ve been fed my entire life. That I was born to be a king.”

“A king?” Frigga raises her eyebrows, had her son learned nothing in all those years? He turned to face her, yet his eyes didn't meet hers. “A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on earth?” At the last sentence his eyes flicked to her face, irritation and annoyance visible beneath the surface. “A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself.” He doesn’t like where this discussion is going. He doesn’t want to go there. Of course he knows it’s his fault. But it is not like he had a choice. Once he accepts it’s his fault. No, he cannot do that. Or perhaps he should? 

He turns, walking the five or so steps to the other side, away from Frigga and her digging questions. Questions that make him think of things he doesn’t want to think about. “Your Father-” He whips around, all the bottled anger spilling out at once. “He’s Not My Father!” A pauze follows where Frigga is holding back her anger, grinding her teeth, before replying softly. “Then am I not your mother?”

That makes Loki pauze. He knows the truth. By denying Odin, he also denies Frigga. It aches his heart to do so. Despite his doubts, she has shown to love him. After all, hadn’t she gone to earth trying to save Nova? Even so, a real mother would have told the truth. He fights the tears trying to overwhelm him. “You’re not.” He tries to put venom in the words but fails. He cannot deny still loving her. 

She sees it. Sees the love he so desperately tries to hide. She chuckles softly, forcing a smile. It hurts that he wants to deny his love for her. That he feels hurt enough to deny himself the love she feels for him. Her eyes prick with tears as she steps closer, palms turned up. “Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.” It is time for her to go, and even though she doesn’t want to leave the conversation here. She hopes it will cause him to think, to change his perspective. 

Loki looks regretful, shaking his head as he takes a step towards her. He realises the same. Still fighting back the tears and regret he moves to place his hands upon her palms. Hoping for just a bit of physical connection before he is again left to his own for who knows how long. She slowly dissolves at his touch, this time there was only a projection. The more powerful magic-blocking walls also affect the queen of asgard it seems. He closes his eyes, pushing back the tears threatening to fall as he lets out a shaky breath. 

* * *

“We are going to need an extra chair” The four officers instantaneously turn to the lieutenant. They are seated around a large table with exactly seven chairs, one for each officer and one each for the lieutenant, scientist and Baron at the head of the table. “Last week it was brought to my attention that we have not used our resources to their best potential. Therefore I have decided to promote one of our best agents.” That’s when the door opens and Nova walks in. Wearing what is the standard female officers uniform, a black double-breasted jacket over a hideously uncomfortable pencil skirt. Some of the eyes travel down her figure in an appreciative way making her feel all kinds of awkward, while others just look at her sternly. She gives a quick courtesy. 

“I would like to announce the newest member of our group, Officer No.” Nova coughs quickly to cover up her giggle. From all the nicknames she had in the past, ‘No’ would probably be the worst. Although perhaps it was still better than her name… It was not up to her to decide. A soldier, one of the two who had been guarding the door, comes in carrying an additional chair. He places it at the end of the table and as he leaves Nova takes her seat, setting her papers out in front of her. It is her first time in the officers meeting room and she looks around curiously. The walls are adorned with old tapestries and there are flags depicting swastika’s on either side of the fireplace. The furniture dark and the whole room felt stuffy. The air thick with the smoke coming from the fire, the only source of warmth in the old castle. Except for the lukewarm shower-water and the gas burners in the kitchen. 

The baron scrapes his throat, focussing his eyes on the scientist. It’s then that Nova notices that it is not their base’s usual scientist at the table. This woman is new, unknown to her. She is nervous, obviously as all attention is set on her. She shuffles through the papers in front of her until the lieutenant scrapes her throat, urging her on. “We’ve measured some anomalies sir.” She has a heavy Irish accent that she is clearly trying to hide. “The measurements all point to Greenwich, but we are not sure what they mean.” One of the officers takes a sip from his drink before speaking. “From our brothers and sisters in London we have received news that Eric Selvig has contacted Jane Foster and that she has relocated to the continent.” 

All officers nod before all eyes focus on Nova and she gulps. This is her first meeting here and she feels just as nervous as the scientist looked. Quickly she opens the file in front of her and scans over her notes. “So far no notable missing person records but the anomalies seem to be concentrated around an abandoned storage house that is often visited by local children to play. Their families are poor and the news might not yet have reached local authorities… oh, i’m sorry, Jane Foster apparently has gone missing in the area a little while ago, but the report has been retracted, so I assume she has been found.” The lieutenant gives her an encouraging smile before ending the short briefing “Just over an hour ago the bifrost was spotted twice in the same area. So we can assume that at least one of the Avengers knows about it. 

Nova’s stomach makes an unexpected lurch at hearing about the bifrost. Hadn’t Loki destroyed it? That was the reason why Thor had needed the tesseract to return to Asgard, wasn’t it? She focuses on keeping her expression neutral. It is then that one of the other officers speaks. “That is not the only intell that has come to our attention regarding the Avengers. The Black Widow was spotted near our base in Italy.” He turns to Nova, as if challenging her to contradict him. She takes a deep breath. “That’s not really surprising, seeing how the last mission there was almost purposefully opposed by the local officer I worked with.” The officer almost seems to seethe with anger at that. But before he can say anything, it is the lieutenant who comes in between. “You believe it was purposefully done Officer No?” “I’m not sur-” “Lieutenant, My brother would never-” 

“SILENCE!” It is the first word spoken by the Baron and it is followed by total silence as everyone stares at him. “I want to stay updated on both situations. However I don’t see the added benefit of this meeting.” As he scrapes his chair back he turns to the lieutenant, “I expect to see you in my offices once you have dealt with this situation as you see fit.” She nods, raising from her chair. The others follow, honoring the baron with a standing ovation as he walks away. 

* * *

Loki is reclined back on his bed, playing with a small cup by throwing it in the air and catching it again. He lets his thought wander. Listening to the restlessness of the new prisoners brought in just a few hours ago. His mind is mulling over the conversation he had with Frigga. He hates that she saw so easily through him. 

The sudden screaming from the other prisoners pulls him from his mulling. They slam on the magic walls, pulling power from the source. The lights flicker momentarily and Loki catches the cup for the last time. He halts, listening before throwing his legs over the side of the bed. Sitting upright he focuses on the noise. The screaming stops and is replaced by a deep guttural growl followed by pounding. Then a roar can be heard through the entire dungeon, causing the guards from a few cells down to look up and take action. 

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. New prisoners are always restless on their first few days. More screaming follows along with the sounds of fights. By now Loki is standing at the front wall of his cell, looking out into the hallway that slowly gets more and more dark. Cell failure, he realizes. It is then that the first freed prisoners start to run past. 

Making their way towards the exit of the dungeons where they are stopped by a small army of einherjar. Slowly, as if controlling his energy a monstrous form comes into view. By now Loki is the last prisoner on its right side still locked in. It turns towards him and locks his eyes with Loki. It is hideous, but he can see intelligence behind the boarlike face. The creature seems to seize him up, Loki understands. Monster to monster they try to read the other. 

The furniture in his cell and the fact that he is alone signals his importance to Asgard. He’s not sure whether if freed he will actually fight alongside the monster. Perhaps he will fight alongside Asgard, earn back his freedom. Or he could use the opportunity to vanish altogether. The creature seems to have come to some conclusion as it starts to turn away from the cell. 

All prisoners have a grudge against Odin. Loki sees the opportunity and takes it. “You might want to take the stairs to the left.” The least he could do was cause the old man some major discomfort as he gets left behind. It would not come as a surprise to him if the ‘allfather’ was cowering away in his private chambers while his soldiers fought for their lives. 

For a moment the creature turns back, once more locking eyes with the fallen prince. Loki cannot help the small smile on his face as he sees the understanding in the monster's eyes. A soft grunt is all that he gets in reply before the creature disappears into the fighting mass. Loki takes a book and settles himself next to the see-through wall. From here he can see and hear everything. He’s ready to enjoy the show. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed.   
> If so, Please leave Kudos and/or comments!  
> They help me stay motivated to write.
> 
> Don't forget to stay safe in these trying times.   
> Aïnsa


	8. What do you need?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki cuts his foot, Nova makes a man blush and Thor takes a chance.

“Are you sure it’s a skirt and not a torture device?” Lena was holding up Nova’s officer’s skirt pulling a face that told it all. “I swear, this skirt is made to be uncomfortable” Tetiana laughed “Yeah, even you wouldn’t be able to pull that off.” “Honey, no-one would be able to pull this off, I mean, look at it...” She held it in front of her legs as if trying it on. Nova stuck her head around the door to the bathroom only to notice that Lena, as always, would probably look good in that skirt. “I disagree with you, Lena, that actually doesn’t look too bad.” Both women stared at her in displeasure before she exited the bathroom in the second pair of pants she was fitting. 

“Nah, not interested” Lena answered with a wink before throwing the skirt into the trash can. For a moment Nova hesitated. Technically speaking she was supposed to hand the skirt back. But Lena was right. The material was uncomfortable, the cut was very unflattering and it didn’t even fit. She shrugged as she turned back to the girls. “Does this make my butt look fat?” Putting her hand on her hip, trying, and failing miserably, to look flirty. They all looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Sometimes it was so easy to forget she was not their ally. 

Tetiana looked at Nova suddenly, “Tell me though, I’m curious. What’s up with you and Bertrand?” Nova hiccupped mid-laugh, a warm feeling crawling up her cheeks. “Oeh, look at her! She’s blushing.” Lena exclaimed “You’ve made her blush!” Nova tried to shut her up with a warning glance, it didn’t work. She sighed. “It’s nothing, really.” Tetiana raised her eyebrows. “Nothing? Don’t think we haven’t seen you two together….” “Yeah” Lena added, “You even slept in the same bed.” 

“That was just once! And you know nothing happened!” Nova felt a bit of panic rising. It was true, she did like Bertrand. But not in the way they were implying. She liked him, he was calm, serious. One of the younger men at 29. He helped her relax. Understood what she needed without needing much words. “What about you and Andrew uh?!?” She shot back at Lena, who immediately turned all shades of pink. “Wha- what about me an- and Andrew?” She asked, her normally perfectly controlled manner completely lost as she stuttered her way through the sentence. 

“It’s obvious that he likes you!” Tetiana stepped in to help Nova. “Ever since our first trip he has been ogling you.” “Yeah, not to speak about the extra training you two had in the bathroom…” Nova had not thought it possible for Lena to turn even redder but she managed. Hiding her face in her hands. “He doesn’t like me that way.” “What?!?” “Did he say that to you?” Lena shook her head. Her voice small. “No, he said he was done with dating.” Tetiana looked at Nova conspirationally. “Yeah, he probably meant he didn’t want to ‘date’ anymore, he wants to ‘go steady’.” She made air quotes. Lena just shook her head. “Keep out of it will you? If the lieutenant finds out we will be separated and I like having another Brit on the team.” The other girls nodded, promising before the three of them continued with finding an alternative for the hideous Officers skirt. 

* * *

It is two days after the failed escape attempt. Of course Loki knows more was going on. He, just like everyone else, could feel the ground shaking as something large must have struck the palace. And even though most prisoners either died or were recaptured, some, including the monster had vanished. 

Loki is in his cell. Where else would he be. He hates not knowing what happened above. As a prisoner he is not brought up to speed with the comings and goings in the palace. It irks him, but there is nothing he can do about it. It is therefore that it surprises him when he hears his name being called from the outside of the cell. For a moment he’s not sure whether it is real. And once he has assured himself that it is not his mind playing tricks on him he is still surprised anyone addresses him. After all, his sentence so far had been in complete silence. 

“Prince Loki?” Is he still a prince, he’s not sure anymore. Hadn’t he lost that title a long time ago. He turns towards the einherjar, the man has his helmet respectfully under his arm and wears the armor of a palace guard, not one of the prison staff. The man is nervous, as if afraid Loki is going to lash out at him. Which is impossible with the reinforced shield between them. Still, with the professionalism of someone on the job for most of his life he conveys his message. “The Allmother has passed to Valhalla.” Loki cannot believe it, the news not registering, he nods, signaling he received the message and the man leaves. 

The Allmother has passed to Valhalla. Frigga has passed to Valhalla. Frigga is dead. His last ally. The last person on Asgard to actually care for him. Who had shown that she still loved him. He put away the book on the small stool in front of him. Turning away from the shields. No-one was to see him this way. He was a prince after all. He had just lost his mother. The woman who raised him. His anger, his grief courses through him. Awakening his seidr and in a burst of energy it releases away from him. Scattering the furniture in the room. 

It is only then, once the initial shock is gone, that he realizes. Frigga would have been in the royal chambers. That could only be reached by taking the stairs to the left. The directions he had given to the monster, hoping that it would come across Odin. Apparently Odin hadn’t been cowering away in his chambers, instead he had left his wife there. Loki’s mother. He had sent the monster to kill his mother. He was responsible for her death. 

He shouts at nothing, trashing his furniture, ripping his clothes, pulling at his hair. He is crying, bleeding. It hurt. From all the deaths he had caused this one was the only one to hurt. To actually hurt. There was this growing hole in his chest. Like a black hole, sucking all the light out of him. Somewhere along the process he cut his foot. Despite all this, those outside his cell saw nothing but the fallen prince walking around the perimeter of his cell. Inside, Loki was living his personal hell. And for the first time, he was really, totally and utterly alone. 

* * *

Again Nova looks over the four maps scattered over her desk. Somehow she cannot work out the logistics. It should be easy right? Divide her team in four groups and each group gets a location. However two of the locations need at least five persons to complete the missions and the others might be able to run with three, but just two is going to be too scarce. A soft knock on the door announces the arrival of her teammate. “Come in.” Andrew walks through the door. He has finally switched his suit for tight fitted jeans and a polo, but has stuck with the jacket. Probably because of the cold. He is holding a roll of duct tape, making Nova curious what activity she interrupted him from doing. The recruit she had sent to fetch him is standing next to the door, jealousy looking at the normal clothes of the two other occupants in the room, comparing it to his own itchy uniform. 

It had taken some negotiation from Nova to get her team to look normal. But since it was necessary on missions for them to blend in, they were now only obligated to wear the uniform during training. She gives the recruit a dismissive wave and he leaves with a bow of the head. The moment the door closes Andrew loses his carefully crafted composure. “I almost feel sorry for the guy, he just kept staring at my jeans.” Nova smiles, getting up from behind her desk. “Are you sure he wasn’t actually looking at your butt? If I remember correctly Lena said that it looked ‘mighty tight’ in those jeans?” To her surprise Andrews cheeks become slightly pink. It makes her grin, “Don’t worry, I’m happy for you two.” He scrapes his throat uncomfortably, “You asked me to come here?”

Nova sighs, gesturing to the mess on her desk and the whiteboard behind it. “Yes, one single mission I can handle myself. But now we have to run four, four missions in the time of a few days.” Andrew raises his eyebrow, It is clear Nova is uncomfortable asking help. Even though his opinion was always valued, Nova had never actually asked him for help. In the beginning he had been rather harsh on her when she got the promotions. He was jealous that not he, with the actual field experience had gotten them. Perhaps he was a little mad at himself for missing the opportunities. And now she was asking him for help. “What do you need?” 

He walks towards the papers and Nova starts to explain her problems. “Firstly, this is all strictly confidential, I need you to keep this between us, for now.” He nods his response, looking over the maps and diagrams. His mind immediately starts to think tactics. “Okey so I have two high priority missions that I would normally employ the entire team for.” She points them out, pulling the corresponding maps to the top of the pile. “Then there is a smaller mission, fairly close to this location, so I’m hoping to employ the same team, or part of the same team. But it needs completely different tactics.” She pulls the third map from underneath. “And the last mission, god knows why I got this, is actually surveillance for a couple days. So whoever I sent there, I cannot use for the other three.” 

Andrew shifts the last map back to the side, “Surveillance is something everyone of us can do properly and you would trust all of us to do it right.” He doesn’t wait for her to answer. “These two missions in Ukraine and Latvia, that’s not really close you know? definitely one team of I would say, five?” He is pleased to see how Nova is making notes of what he said in a small notebook. “It states something about a military operation so definitely Elias, Bertrand, Cristian, Tetiana and either myself or Ross. Maybe ask for Nurse Andrei, it looks like this could become ugly if anything goes wrong.” 

He looks up to see what Nova thinks and she nods. “I want you to lead those two missions, however you see fit. Make it good.” He blinks at her for a moment, surprised by the sudden trust in his abilities. Perhaps he really was too harsh on her in the beginning. “That leaves Robbie, Lena, Herman and Ross for the other two missions.” He continues. “Lena and Robbie should be fine with the surveillance but I don’t want to leave Ross and Herman alone in Belgium.” “Why not? Herman speaks the language right? And he’s experienced in the field, just like me.” She sternly corrects him. “He speaks Dutch Andrew, It’s similar to Flemish but his French is horrible.” “Oh yeah right. What if we switch Bertrand and Ross, then those in Belgium will speak both languages, problem solved.” Nova seems to think about it again. “I’m not comfortable with just sending the two of them on that mission. It’s a big one and since Italy I don’t trust other bases to lend us their well-trained soldiers.”

He shuffles the papers again. There must be something they are missing if the lieutenant thinks these missions can be done with just one team. “Ha!” he exclaims happily. “Look at the dates. The large mission in Ukraine is a day before the one in Belgium. So I can split my team and send half back to assist Bertrand and Herman!” Nova shuffles the papers again, checking over the dates. Calculating in her mind the time difference and flight duration. “That should work, but there is no room for delay on your part.” They stare at the papers again, waiting for something else to pop up. “What about you?” “Me?” “Yes, which mission are you joining?” Nova looks at the papers in thought. “I’m not sure if I'm supposed to actually join a mission as an Officer.” Andrew clacks his tongue. “That’s a shame, you were actually quite handy in the field.” He winks at her and she smiles back at him. “Yes, I can remember a certain mission where my handiness had to save your sorry ass.” They chuckle, remembering the mission only a few weeks ago where Andrew had somehow found himself surrounded by a group of police officers demanding to see his drivers license, which had expired. 

A soft knock at the door disrupts their thought process. Quickly Nova sits in her chair and Andrew straightens his back, taking a step back to the proper distance from his superior. “Come in.” It’s the same recruit as before. He is on messaging duty apparently. Quickly he walks towards the desk and hands a small note to Nova. She nods at him, but instead of leaving he remains in the room. Nervously hopping from one foot to the other. “You can go.” She reminds him. “Sorry Officer No, strict orders from the lieutenant, I’m to bring you to her as soon as convenient.” Nova raises an eyebrow at that last statement and Andrew looks as if having a difficult time not bursting out laughing. “Thank you for making that clear. Let me finish up my business here and I’ll join you outside in a minute.” 

* * *

He cannot believe it. Has his brother really lost all his love, even that for their mother. Thor looks at the perfectly kept figure in the cell as he approaches. Loki turns and faces him. “Thor, after all this time and now you come to visit me. Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?” It is only then that Thor realizes something is off. Yes his brother looks perfectly clean and controlled. But this is not the first thing he expected to hear after all that has happened. “Loki, enough. No more illusions. 

A golden shimmer travels through the cell. It is a mess, furniture is scattered around, some of it’s broken. The walls are covered in blood smears and black residue. Loki is seated against the wall, his hair is a mess. A deep cut in one of his feet oozes blood. His eyes are bloodshot and it is clear he has been crying. There is no fire left in them. “Now you see me, brother.” The last word is sneered and Thor feels sorry for Loki. He had Jane. He had his friends when dealing with his grief. Loki had been alone. He walks up to the side of the cell, trying to comfort somewhat with his presence. He needs Loki. But he needs a functional Loki. Not this mess. 

“Did she suffer?” It is a plea, almost a whisper. As if he himself is not sure he wants to know the truth. Thor realizes that is not the direction to take. By fueling his brother's grief he will never get out of this mess. “I did not come here to share our grief.” Loki cringes almost imperceptibly at the harsh tone. “Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament.” A spark of hope alights in the dull eyes. “Go on” Loki is clearly intrigued although he is hesitant to show it. 

Thor continues, “I know you seed vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you, vengeance.” as an afterthought he adds “And afterward, this cell.” Loki chuckles, he realizes how Thor tries to weave the netting airtight around him. He doesn’t care. He wants vengeance that is true. “You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.” He doesn’t trust Thor however. Why would his brother suddenly trust him now? It is clear that he doesn’t. So why should Loki trust him? With Frigga out of the way, there would be no-one to stop the Allfather from killing him. He’s not ready to die yet. He hasn’t suffered enough for what he did to her. “What makes you think you can trust me?” 

“I don’t” Ah, there it is. “Mother did.” That stops his train of thought. He cannot believe that. Frigga could not have trusted him. He betrayed her. He is the reason she died. “You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere.” So did I, Loki thinks bitterly, so did I. “That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you.” Loki smiles, see there it is. This mission will be his death. Perhaps it is his time. And this way he can determine the conditions himself. Pay back for his past mistakes. No way he is returning to this cell. “Hmm. When do we start?”

* * *

Nova is nervous as she walks behind the recruit towards the Lieutenants quarters. In the past few days she has found out numerous locations of hydra bases and she is ready to send the information to her contact. In her mind they have already discovered her. They’ve found out she is a fraud. She shakes her head. She’s been exceptionally careful, they cannot know. The nerves remain. Why would the lieutenant want to talk to her now. Just before she is to send her team on these important missions. Sure the woman will know that Nova has better things to do. As she rounds the last corner, she takes a deep breath, steadying herself for what is to come. Time to put on a show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how you're all doing, but the Covid quarantine situation is really starting to get to me personally.   
> Not a good excuse I know, but that's why this chapter is late.   
> I also haven't been writing as much recently so my back-log is shortening every week.   
> Anyway, Please enjoy! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far!  
> Stay safe and sane!  
> Aïnsa


	9. Trust my rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for this chapter! I hope I did the movie justice...
> 
> Loki makes a plan, Nova gets an unexpected visitor.
> 
> Edited 21-12-2020: Changed dialogue style

“Is she asleep?” He looks at his brother carefully tucking in the mortal woman. Once more reminding them how fragile her life is compared to theirs. And yet, there is this amazing power burning inside her. He can feel it, He sighs, the polluted air burning through his lungs. “What I could do with the power that flows through those veins.”

Thor looks up. His expression hard, determined. “It would consume you.”

Loki doubts that. “She’s holding up alright, for now.” And if she’s holding up alright, just imagine how much better he would be with that power. With his experience. With his tolerance for pain.

“She’s strong in ways you’d never even know.” Perhaps. But then again, so is he. Thor doesn’t know what Loki has survived. Isn’t there an expression on Midgard? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? He feels his time coming. He is done running. Done hiding. Done with the world where no-one loves him. His thoughts go momentarily to Nova. “Say goodbye.”

“Not this day.”

He doesn't hear Thor's reply, being consumed by his thoughts of the midgardian. No, he already said goodbye didn’t he? Before he left for Asgard. She already believes him to be dead. Perhaps she herself is deceased as well. One less thing to worry about. “This day, the next, a hundred years, it’s nothing. It's a heartbeat. You’ll never be ready.” He follows his brother's eyes to the mortal woman sleeping unmoving at the other end of the skiff. “The only woman whose love you’ve prized will be snatched from you.” Just like it had from him. First Nova and then Frigga.

“And will that satisfy you?”

Loki huffs at the anger in his brother's eyes. Is the idiot really so blind? “Satisfaction is not in my nature.”

“And surrender is not in mine.”

Of course it isn’t. Just like his father isn’t he. Unwilling to give up. The true heir to the throne. “The son of Odin.”

Thor's eyes focus on him with anger. “No, not just of Odin! You think you alone were loved by mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust!”

It hurts, it hurts to know that even Frigga didn’t trust him. It makes him mad. “Trust. Was that her last expression? Trust?” He taunts his brother, willing him to lose control. The months of sitting coped up in his cell, he is rooting for a moment, a situation to get rid of his excess energy, his restlessness. “When you let her die!”

That’s it. He can see the transition in Thor’s eyes. And then it vanishes. “What help were you in your cell?”

Red hot anger flashes in front of him. Oh what he would have done, had he not been imprisoned. “Who put me there? Who put me there?!”

Thor grabs his armor. Bending him back over the end of the skiff. “You know damn well! You know damn well who!” he raises his fist, ready to punch. For the second time he stops himself. Looking at his brother with a mixture of pity and disgust before letting him go. “She wouldn’t want us to fight.”

Loki is surprised, Thor has grown. He is no longer the blithering oaf he once was. He actually thinks about his actions. Somehow he feels proud of his older brother. “Well, she wouldn’t exactly be shocked.” 

They both smile, remembering all the fights they got into as a kid. For a moment they are able to forget the most recent ones. Until Thor turns away. “I wish I could trust you”

Loki can hear the sentiment in the sentence. He wishes so too. He knows he cannot be trusted. But he will vow for one thing. He will get his revenge. “Trust my rage.”

They remain silent for a while before Loki catches Thor’s attention. “I presume you have a plan?”

“Yes”

“Care to elaborate?”

Thor checks on Jane for what is probably the twentieth time since they arrived on Svartalfheim. She is still vastly asleep, her body fighting the power of the Aether. “The plan is simple, Malekith extracts the Aether from Jane, and I destroy it.”

Loki nods before a wolfish grin forms on his face. “A simple plan, very much your style. However, How do you plan on Malekith not killing you or Jane on sight?”

Thor seats himself on the small bench at the back of the ship. “He needs Jane alive to extract the Aether.”

Loki looks at the woman in question. “Of course, but he doesn’t need you alive. Or me for that matter.” 

Thor sighs. “I don’t need to be close. Just close enough.”

Loki gestures to the land around them. “There isn’t much here to hide you from plain sight. If Malekith is smart, and I believe he is. He will never believe the Allfather to have released Jane, especially not without some protection.”

Thor looks at him. “That’s where you come in. You have escaped and taken Jane in order to watch how Malekith destroys Asgard.”

Loki is impressed, that might actually work. Except… “He knows I cannot escape without help.”

Thor starts to get frustrated. “Stop pointing out everything that will not work. I’d rather you help me make a plan that does!”

Loki smiles. This is the reaction he expected. This is how he remembers Thor and their missions together.

Thor notices, letting out a huff. “You already have a plan don’t you?”

Loki looks at his brother, suppressing the need to roll his eyes. “Evidently”

* * *

A young recruit comes bursting out of the door the moment Nova and her escort arrive. She knocks on the door and it is immediately opened by another officer, officer Bas, leader of the base-stationed soldiers. He turns around to the Lieutenant, “She’s here” He steps back to make room for Nova to enter. “Good, let her in, and don’t forget.” He nods “I won’t, you can count on me.” The young escort doesn’t follow in. Instead he is given a note by officer Bas and told to hand it personally to Doctor Shimon Then the door closes and Nova cannot hear or see anything else. She turns to the lieutenant. 

Her desk is riddled with papers, somewhere underneath it all a phone keeps buzzing. The lieutenant is busy searching through a pile of files. “Ha!” she exclaims, apparently having found the correct one. “Read this,” She hands it to Nova, “Tell me what you think.” Nova takes the file and opens it. The first thing she sees is a black and white picture of a man greatly resembling Hawkeye. Except his nose is more pointy, his cheekbones are flatter and his chin seems longer. He is also wearing glasses. She flips the photo, the back is empty. Then she looks at the text on the next page of the file. 

‘The Avengers are onto us’ states the bold title before the text continues to say that Hawkeye has been spotted around the base in Kyoto. She cannot help herself. “We have a base in Kyoto?”

“Yes, did you not know? We have bases everywhere.” Nova flips to the next page. In her mind scolding Clint for his oversight. “I did not know. But I’m not surprised.” She is now looking at the information about the security system that picked up on the spy. Most technical terms mean nothing to her but the name Stark and Stark Industries is mentioned an awful lot on this page. If they have the most high-tech SI security Clint might be in danger. She files away that information for later.

The lieutenant is impatiently tapping her long black nails on the desk, signaling Nova to hurry up. She turns to the next page. The base itself does not seem to be anything special. It is a similar base to theirs, recruit income with a science division. Only their science division is specialized in creating drugs that make people extremely susceptible to ideas of others. That did not sound good. So far the test subjects had become increasingly violent and parts of their brain had been damaged as a side effect of the drug. But something like this should never reach the completed state, it was too dangerous. 

Nova closed the file, handing it back to the lieutenant who is looking at her expectantly. “Is it logical for the Avengers to have figured out the location of that base?”

“How do you mean?”

Nova shrugs, she really wants to sit down, but she hasn’t been given permission yet. “Well in Italy it could be expected as the mission that I assisted at actually ended up in local news because of the casualties. Perhaps something like that also happened in Kyoto?”

The lieutenant looks at her unwavering. “It didn’t” 

Nova starts fiddling behind her back under the scrutinizing eyes of the lieutenant. She had no idea of the location of this base and yet she feels threatened. “You were the only one of my officers unaware of that base.” That is interesting, why had the others been aware, and not her? “So I know it wasn’t you.”

“Are you sure it was someone from our base?”

The lieutenant shrugs. “All the outgoing mail from the Europe area goes through here, it is the easiest place to put in an extra letter without anyone noticing.” Of course Nova already knew that, she had gratefully taken advantage of exactly that. 

“What do you want me to do?”

The lieutenant sighs. “Due to the Avengers on our tail, all missions are temporarily postponed until we can shake them off. I need you to check the outgoing mail of the officers. One of them will be the mole, I’m sure of it. Find out who and bring the information to me. Don’t tell anyone.”

Nova gives a short nod, “Understood, anything else?”

“Yeah, get your team on the normal soldier schedule since there are no missions, that will keep them busy.”

“Will do.” “

You can go now.” with a dismissive wave of the hand Nova is pointed out the door. 

The moment the door closes a dark shadow steps toward the lieutenant from the other side of the office. “What do you think?” The lieutenant asks.

“She really did not know about the base in Kyoto, but it wasn’t as much of a shock to her as to the others. Then again she is more experienced when it comes to the Avengers and their abilities.” The male voice is monotonous with a heavy European accent.

“So you think I can trust her?” The lieutenant is leaning forward over her desk.

A bluish glow becomes visible behind the figure as the crackle of electricity slowly raises in volume. “Trust is such a heavy burden.” The blue glow expands and turns white as it absorbs the figure, leaving the lieutenant alone. 

* * *

The plan worked exactly as it should. Or as good as any plan constructed by the Odinson-brothers could work. Which meant it didn’t, not at all. Loki’s illusion had worked and Malekith had fallen for it. Thor hadn’t been strong enough to destroy the Aether and the next moment they were fighting off the dark elves. It was a shame really that midgardians didn’t learn how to protect themselves. It meant the brothers had not only had to fight six elves and the cursed creature but also protect Jane at the same time. 

Jane however was not important to the elves as they deemed her too weak to fight and ignored her as the monster turned its attention to Thor and Loki fought off four others with nothing more than the tiny knife Thor had given him earlier. It didn’t matter, he could win this. He had fought worse battles. Four against one was nothing. As he slid the knife through the throat of the last one he had looked for Thor. Thor was in trouble, bad trouble. So Loki had done the first thing that came to mind. He had to save his brother, he had to save Thor. After having fought side by side for eons his instincts took over. 

He had stabbed the creature from behind with an enormous piece of shrapnel. The creature had turned, and pulled Loki onto the blade with him. The blade, it ripped through his armor as if through butter. Tearing it’s way through his insides and narrowly missing his spine. He tried to ground himself. His hands grasping anything within his reach. He can hear Thor’s scream as if distant, through water. His sight is fuzzy except for the horrible creature just in front of him. He can smell it’s breath, more poisonous than the foul air of Svartalfheim. A soft clicking sound is heard as his fingers clamp and pull on a small loop as the monster tosses him back, over the metal. He realizes what must have happened. “See you in hell, monster!” 

He knows it won’t be long now. The pain slowly dampens as he starts to lose more and more blood. The monster implodes, disappears, he doesn’t notice, struggling on the floor. The blood loss weakened him quicker than he could have anticipated. If his wound is not dressed quickly he will die. Thor crawls towards him. Holding his head. He can feel his seidr faltering as the illusion falls away, his skin gray and dull for the loss of blood.

“No. No, no, no! You fool, you didn’t listen!” Thor is there, close, holding him. He is not alone. He is not going to die alone. Why did he think he wanted to die?

“I know. I’m a fool. I’m a fool!” Loki writhes in pain. How come the pain is getting worse? His body desperately trying to mend itself. He is dying, it should fade into nothingness.

“Stay with me, okay?”

Please Thor, don’t leave me. I don’t want to die alone. I’m sorry for all I caused you. The words don’t leave his mouth. Instead his lips repeat themselves over and over. “I’m sorry” as a mantra. 

Thor tries to shush him, “It’s okay.” he nods his head.

It’s okay, I can die now, Loki thinks. His body stops trembling. Readying itself for that final moment.

“It’s alright, I’ll tell father what you did here today.”

How can he still be such an oaf? He doesn't care about Odin, not anymore. Loki searches his brother's eyes. Frigga was the most important one in his family, the only one who loved him. or perhaps there was one more. “I didn’t do it for him.” Thor still loved him too. He is losing the last of the control he has over his body. Letting himself go limp, closing his eyes and waiting. There is nothing more for him to do. 

He can sense his body. It is as if he is falling, again. But he knows. This time he won’t survive the fall. Just for a moment his thoughts go to Nova. If she is still alive, or not. He wishes for her to find peace either way. Perhaps they will be reunited again in the afterlife. He would like that, to see her again. He tries his hardest to imagine her face. The soft touch of her lips on his. 

He doesn’t notice the surge of power running through him as he falls through the realms into Yggdrasil. Or maybe he does. It doesn’t register, in his mind he is dying. 

* * *

Nova quickly closes the door behind her. Glad she can finally leave the lieutenants office. That woman is incredibly intimidating with her talon-like nails. She shudders and starts making her way through the old castle. It is one of the still undetected Hydra bases. Or at least that’s what the lieutenant believes. The base in Italy has been found since the Black Widow was spotted closely and apparently Clint Barton had been hanging out in Kyoto near the base there. Hydra was getting nervous. The avengers were getting close. The lieutenant suspected a mole within the organization. Someone must have provided the Avengers with the locations of these bases after all. Nova had just nodded, hoping, praying that she would remain undiscovered. All she had been able to think was that it must be some sort of trap. Surely they had found her out by now?

Honestly she thought the whole spy business would be more exciting. It was surprisingly easy to rise the ranks of the organization. With her last name, they just assumed she hated everything Tony Stark and was with them for her personal revenge. On the other hand she was a young woman. Apparently attractive enough to attract attention from the men higher up and her connection to Doom hadn’t hurt so far. But, most importantly, she had shown intelligence. Unlike most foot soldiers, she used her brain, she didn’t blindly follow orders. It had put her on the bad side of some of the agents and officers a few times, but so far it had always turned in her favor. This didn’t sit well with her. It had been too easy. Somehow it felt as if everything was supposed to collapse. And yet, so far, it hadn’t. 

The difficult part was the emotional part. She had made friends here. Her mind wandered to her team. Tetiana and Lena, the girls. Bertrand who would ground her whenever she needed it. Andrew who had started to finally see her as the leader. Robbie who brought the fun to the party together with Chris. The other who by now would blindly follow her orders. Even Andrei, the nurse who assisted on so many missions he was part of the team now. They were her team, her responsibility. She wanted to trust them with her life. She probably could trust them with her life, at least until they found out the truth. That thought had been nagging in the back of her head more instantly during the past few weeks. What would happen once they found out the truth? Not now, now she had other things to focus on.

She missed Loki. He would have come up with some sort of idea. Something to do. Some way to twist the truth. But by now it was over seven months ago since she last saw him. She had left him a kiss, he had left her a prank. The corner of her mouth turns up as she remembers how he must have spent all night pulling it off with his magic bound. It had taken her days to bring the library back to it's original state.

Still smiling she opens the door to her room. Every officer has their own bedroom, Directly attached to their office. It is tiny, just fitting a bed and a wardrobe. But at least it’s hers. Her few personal belongings, a couple of books, the black pebble necklace and a diary with a pen are next to her pillow. The rest of the bed is blocked from her view by the wardrobe. She turns to lock the door, the talk with the lieutenant has made her jumpy and without the locked door she knows she won’t sleep peacefully. In her peripheral vision she sees a gold shimmer. She whips around, hand going to the gun holstered on her hip. 

She pulls it out, pointing it around the edge of the wardrobe before following with her body once she finds no reaction to the gun. As she rounds the corner she drops the gun to the floor with a loud clatter. There, on her bed. His face contorted in pain. A huge gaping wound on his chest, His face is grayish, almost blue as he looks at her with blood-ridden eyes as Ice-crystals form on the blankets surrounding him. But it all doesn’t register in her mind. His mouth opens, his voice croaky, soft. It takes him a lot of effort to speak. “I am in desperate need of your assistance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed,  
> Keep safe in these difficult times!  
> I find that reading and writing helps keep me sane and motivated to stay inside.  
> If you enjoyed, please consider leaving Kudos and/or a comment  
> They keep me motivated to continue the story!
> 
> Aïnsa


	10. Please don't tell me you enjoy laying on top of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets duct-tape, Odin mourns and Elias meets some fellow countrymen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I got a tip from Pixel_Pixy on my last chapter regarding dialogue heavy sections and chapters and I will be trying it on the parts without dialogue tags, where the dialogue is going back and forth quickly. This chapter does not contain a lot of dialogue like that so I will also change it in the last dialogue-heavy chapter because I understand in hindsight that my current writing style might make those bits slightly confusing. 
> 
> Anyway... Enjoy!

Loki is sleeping seemingly peaceful on her bed. His face slowly coloring to a healthier complexion rather than the bluish gray it had been when he arrived. Her bed has also started to defrost, she would have to ask him about that once he wakes up again. As quietly as possible she gathers the remaining tools she used, the sewing kit, the bottle of vodka Elias had stashed in her room since officers quarters weren’t searched on a regular basis, the mug and tweezers she had used to remove the last of the sulfuric smelling debris from the wound, the duct-tape Andrew had left in her office that had taken over from the sewing kit once she had realized her needles couldn’t penetrate Loki’s thick skin. Oh how Loki had protested when she had shown him the incredibly sticky and strong tape. Cursing her and all of humanity for their incompetence when it came to proper medical tools. 

Luckily for Nova he tired out quickly and just resorted to staring at her until he fell asleep. She washes the blood of her mug in which she had collected the shrapnel. The pieces dissolving the moment they came in contact with the water, leaving a very persistent stench in their wake. Perhaps for the better, less evidence to dispose of. She returned the rest of her tools to their designated places, the liquor in her desk, hidden beneath the files, the sewing kit and tweezers in her bathroom, the mug and leftover duct-tape on her desk. 

From the doorway to her bedroom she looks at the peaceful figure in her bed. She never thought, never dared to dream to see him again. Yet here he was, badly wounded, slowly healing. And taking up more than 90 percent of the only sleeping space in her quarters. For a moment she contemplated moving him and crawling in next to him. But the thought of disturbing his so needed rest and re-opening his wounds scared her. So in the end she decides to take her travel sleeping bag and make herself comfortable in the small space next to the bed. To her surprise she fell asleep almost instantly. 

* * *

It was there, curled up that Loki found her when he woke up with a grumbling, and slightly upset, stomach a few hours later. Everything hurt as he slowly rose into a sitting position. He looked around, trying to gain his bearings in the dark musty room. The temperature was surprisingly pleasant on his skin where his shirt was gone and he wasn't covered in bandages and for a moment he thought himself on Jotunheim. It was then that the rhythmic sound of someone breathing breached his mind and he froze on the spot. Whoever it was had not noticed his movement or was practiced enough not to change their breathing. Willing his stomach to remain quiet, he spied around the bed, looking for something he could use as a weapon. He finds a pen and holds it ready to stab as he moves to the edge of the bed, to the place where he has located the other person. 

The figure was curled up and wrapped in a sleeping blanket. The dark hair wildly scattered around the head without obscuring the face. It was the face that made him stop. Nova, she was alive. It had not been a dream. He put the pen down again without moving to much. The pain rushing back now that the adrenaline slowly dissipated. He studies her face, clean, a bit skinnier than when they had said goodbye, but lacking the dark circles under her eyes indicating she had slept better than when he had taken her across the world. Then came the question what she was currently doing on the floor. It couldn't be very comfortable, certainly not with the, for her, cold temperature in the room and it wasn't as if they hadn't shared a bed before. 

Perhaps he had been moving too much in his sleep, being plagued by the same recurring nightmares ever since his fall, yet he couldn't imagine himself moving a lot in his current state. That left only the option that she didn't want to share the bed, but why? Had she not kissed him when he left for Asgard? If he closed his eyes he could still feel the softness of her lips on his and he involuntarily leaned forward, lost his balance and fell from the bed. 

Nova woke up with a start as the heavy weight suddenly dropped on her. Her first thought was that Hydra had finally caught up with her and used a human-shaped... No that wasn't right. Her second thought was that Loki must have gotten out of the bed and tripped over her sleeping next to the bed. Which resulted in her bolting upright, because Loki was actually here and it hadn't been a dream, causing Loki to jostle and groan: "Stop moving!" 

"Get off me!" 

"Yes, I would love to, but-" 

"but? Please don't tell me you enjoy laying on top of me." 

Both froze on the spot. Nova scared she had overstepped and scared Loki off, while Loki on the other hand widened his eyes thinking that Nova somehow had seen through him, seen what he had been thinking about. Once both got moving again they were separated within seconds and Nova helped Loki back on the bed. She started checking his bandages after flicking on the lights, but Loki wouldn't have it. "Stop fuzzing women, and get me some food." He weakly slapped away her hands. "No." Nova stopped and looked in his eyes, a very unhappy expression on her face. Loki's stomach growled as response but she didn't back down, ignoring him and sitting him up so she could check his back. "Could you please go and find me some sustenance?" "No, the kitchens are closed" she helped him lie down and tucked him in. "Go back to sleep, I will bring you some food in the morning." Loki tried to protest, but he felt the tiredness overtake him, the adrenaline rush and pain having drained the small amount of energy he had regained. He vaguely registered that Nova wrapped herself back in her blanket and disappeared from view on the side of the bed. 

* * *

Thor sends off the einherjar before he walks into the great hall. It is empty except for the lonely figure of Odin perched on top of his throne. He is dressed completely in black, his eye closed. He is mourning, Thor realizes. Perhaps the Allfather already knows then. If that is the case he sent the einherjar to Svartalfheim unwarranted. Slowly he makes his way to the stairs, before bowing his head and taking the required kneeling position. He has committed high treason after all. Perhaps that is the reason why his father is dressed in black looking miserable, because his legacy is gone. “Rise, my son.” 

The voice sounds weary, older than he can remember. Odin is old, even for Asgardian standards. Slowly Thor rises and looks at his father, steeling himself for what is to come. But the Allfather isn’t looking at him. Instead he clutches a golden fabric in his hands, his eye focused only on that. One of Frigga’s scarfs, finally Odin has allowed himself time to mourn, now that the peril has passed. “Father, I come with news from Midgard and Svartalfheim.” Odin’s response is a gesture to continue. “The dark elf Malekith will no longer be a threat to us or any of the nine realms. The Aether has been collected and is currently under the guard of the warriors three in the vaults.” Odin nods shakily “That is wonderful my son” Thor gives a short nod before taking a deep breath. 

“I also come with sadder tidings. Your son, Loki, has passed away.” No reaction, nothing. It makes Thor wonder if his father has really stopped caring for his second child. “He helped me to destroy Malekith and the dark elves. He saved my life and the life of Jane. He sacrificed himself for us.” Odin releases the golden fabric, it slowly glides down his lap and flutters to the floor. “He should have stayed in his cell.” Thor, for a moment, doesn’t know how to respond to that. “I released him father, I will take full responsibility for his escape.” Odin’s eye finally focusses on him, looking at him, looking into him. “Yes, you are.” Then the Allfather slowly rises and Thor feels the power gathering in the room. He has to brace himself to keep standing, as the whirlwind of seidr concentrates around his father. “Do you have any idea what he has done? I should have left him to die in the frozen cold. I took him in and raised him side by side with my own. I gave him a Brother, a family, a Mother. You know what he did? He killed your mother!” 

“No! That cannot be true! Loki was in his cell! Please father, I beg of you. Don’t take your anger, your grief out on him. Yes he may not always have been the best son. But he died a hero father! He died saving the nine realms! Please show him your leniency.” Thor can feel the tears fall from his eyes. He wants to look away, hide his own pain, but he knows he can't. If Odin were to curse Loki, his brother would never reach Valhalla. They would never be reunited. “Really, and you think he did that for me? For the nine realms? Perhaps even for you?” Odin sneers, slowly sitting back down on his throne. “Please father, don’t speak ill of the dead” 

It is that moment that a knock sounds and the einherjar that Thor sent off earlier enters the great hall. Immediately he is pushed back against the wall by the lingering power of the Allfather. Both royals look up to him questioningly. Thor feels sorry for the guy, feeling the full force of the Allfathers power is never pleasant but only those of the royal family have enough strength to keep from being pushed over. “There is no body my lord, I looked everywhere, but there was so much blood, he could not have survived that without medical help.” Odin signals for the man to go and Thor turns back to Odin. “It seems you will get your wish after all.” No body, no funeral, no chance of entering Valhalla for his little brother. As he looks back up Odin is looking smug, the expression making Thor feel sick. How can this man, who took Loki as his own son, now abandon him with so much enthusiasm. The moment Odin feels Thor's eyes on him he changes his expression to remorse. But it is too late. “Perhaps it is all for the best.” 

That moment Thor knows he cannot stay. He doesn’t want to stay. He will go back to earth. Become a full time Avenger. Spend more time with Jane. He is done. Done with Odin. Done with Asgard. Done with the family who won’t recognize their own flaws. “I have one final request to make.” Odin bends over to pick up the scarf from his feet. “You once said there would never be a wiser King than me. You were wrong. The alignment has brought all the realms together. Every one of them saw you offer your life to save them. What can Asgard offer its new King in return?” It felt wrong to hear those words, even though he now recognized hearing them his entire life. No credit ever went to those who helped him, no, all credit was given to him. And why? Because he was to be the new king of Asgard? Hopefully not for a very long time. 

“My life. Father, I cannot be King of Asgard. I will protect Asgard and all the realms with my last and every breath, but I cannot do so from that chair. Loki, for all his grave imbalance, understood rule as I know I never will. The brutality, the sacrifice, it changes you. I'd rather be a good man than a great King.” Odin raises his eyebrow, surprise flickering over his face followed by betrayal, just for a moment before he controls himself again. “Is this my son I hear, or the woman he loves?” “When you speak, do I never hear Mother’s voice?” Odin sighs, clutching the scarf to his chest for a moment. “ This is not for Jane, Father. She does not know what I came here to say. Now forbid me to see her or say she can rule at my side, it changes nothing.” 

“One who wanted the throne too much, and my son who will not take it. Is this my legacy?” Thor can feel the anger boiling within him, now that Odin has resorted to not even acknowledging Loki as his son. "Loki died with honor, I shall try to live the same. Is that not legacy enough?” He is seething, he offers Odin Mjolnir back. “It belongs to you, if you are worthy of it.” Thor nods, his teeth clenched together. ”I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good fortune. If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say.” Of course he can. He is the Allfather after all. But he will not, he chooses not to. Last chance of turning back. “I know.” Thor turns around and starts walking back to the door. It is then that he hears the mere whisper that makes him smile “It would speak only from my heart. Go, my son.” Not all love is lost in Odin. 

* * *

"How is leg?" Elias is escorting Bertrand to the medical wing to have his stitches removed. It has been two weeks since he got shot. "Itchy, horribly itchy" "You walking very good" Bertrand raises his eyebrows. He is not walking 'good', he still has a limp as a result of his blood vessels in his leg being tied off. Just as he wants to answer Elias signals him to remain quiet. They can hear two men talking and slowly approaching from the direction they are heading. Their voices bouncing off the cold stone walls. Bertrand cannot understand what they are saying, recognizing the language as Eastern European. Elias listens attentively, his head clocked to the side. 

The two men get closer, they are discussing a letter, probably found while sorting the post. A typical recruits job. It is obvious they don't yet know it is better to remain ignorant. He turns to Bertrand, who is looking at him with great interest. He signals him to come closer so they can softly discuss before the others reach the next corner and see them. "They found letter by No. Bringing to Lieutenant now." Bertrand gets it, "We can't have that, can we?" He smiles at Elias, ready for action. He has been sitting still for far too long. Elias nods and steps forward, covering the other man's limp by blocking it from their view. 

It is mere moments later that the two recruits round the corner. They see the two men, no uniforms so probably agents and file behind one another, creating space for the other two to pass. They are stopped however by the other men. The one in the front, the elder of the two, speaks and the recruits are surprised to hear their own language. "I heard you discussing a letter, are you on postal duty?" "Yes" the first one answers, "are you also from Serbia?" The recruit smiles, feeling the unrest growing in his companion and tries to reconcile the situation. "We found something strange in one of the letters from the new officer." Elias nods, signaling Bertrand to stand on his other side, he will get the first one, Elias will go for the second further away. "That's my officer you are talking about." The recruit visibly gulps, "Outside contact must go past the lieutenant." 

Elias steps forward, creating space for Bertrand and with just a few strong blows the two recruits collapse onto the floor. Immediately they are searched and the letter is found and tucked away safely. Then both recruits are hoisted onto their shoulders and the route to the medical bay is resumed. 

No one at the medic bay is surprised to see the two recruits being dragged in. At the earliest days of training the harsh conditions and competitive atmosphere cause the newest recruits to fight amongst each other regularly. Bertrand stitches are swiftly removed and the two are on their way again within minutes. This time to the postal room. 

Once they arrive the room is empty, all recruits having left after sorting the small amount of post that travels through the room each day. Elias brings out the envelope, the address somewhere in Germany, clearly written in November's handwriting. "So, what now?" Bertrand asks. "We post letter" Elias stated, as if it was the obvious thing to do. "But what if they are right? What if November is actually going against orders? What if she is the spy?" the last sentence is whispered, too afraid for it to be true. 

"no matter." Bertrand makes an angry gesture towards the letter. "No difference? She's been playing us easily." Elias makes a calming gesture before getting up and putting the letter with the outgoing mail. In a few hours it will be gone. "No proof, no problem." Bertrand can hardly believe it. "Don't you care about the cause?" Elias guides Bertrand out of the door, closing it behind them. "Yes, I do. But she..." he searches for the correct word, shakes his head frustrated and continues "I like her, she is nice. We live." He signals a greeting to two soldiers filing past "no itchy suit, I trust her." Bertrand shakes his head defeated. "You're right, it's not that I don't care for the cause. It's just…” He moves his hand over his face “The thought scared me. You don't think it's her do you, the spy?" Elias shrugs, "Yes or no, I don't care. Do you?" Bertrand stops in his tracks, they are almost back at the leisure room. Taking a moment to actually think about his answer he looks up as if hoping for a signal from the gods. "I don't know, but I guess it doesn't really matter either. Better perhaps not to know?" Elias smiles, clapping him on the back: "Good, pool?" Bertrand laughs, "No, you always win with pool, let's play darts." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, Kudos and constructive criticism are always welcome!
> 
> Stay safe and Sane!  
> Aïnsa


	11. I thought your dad's name was Joseph?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova gets breakfast, Loki grows a tail and Tony plays body armor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a bit of a struggle with the rest of the story, so I might update a bit more irregular from now on.   
> I've reached the end of my backlog and have to post when finished, or work to regain a bit of backlog, which I will try.  
> But in the new year I also want to focus more on my studies and during the holidays I've started costuming (18th-19th century) which I also want to spend some time on. Don't worry, The story will finish, it might just take a bit longer than I originally planned.

It was the next morning as Nova hurriedly gathered a plate of food to bring back to her rooms. She had tried to get to the canteen as early as possible, before the breakfast hurdle, even forgoing changing out of her pajamas. She skipped the yoghurts and oatmeal, as she recalled from their lock-down together Loki preferred non-processed food so she started to pile fruits, vegetables, some slices of meat and a chunk of bread. Plenty for two people. Quickly she started to make her way back to the hallway as she was stopped by Officer Bas, who had covered the night shift. “Officer No, can I have a moment?” His voice startled her and she dropped the plate. With incredible reflexes the other caught it mid air, only the tomatoes rolling off. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Please allow me to escort you." it was only then that he looked at the plate and his eyes grew wide. "My, you must be starving." 

Nova could feel her cheeks grow warm as she quickly snatched back her plate. "something like that." she mumbled as they started walking, leaving the escaped tomatoes behind. 

"excuse me?" 

"oh, nothing, you wanted to talk to me?" 

"ah, yes," He straightened his jacket. "How are you?" 

Nova snorted, "I'm fine, thank you, please what did you want to talk to me about?" Just get to the point. They round the next corner, the door to her office coming in sight. For a moment she saw her door move, but it was gone the moment her eyes focused on Chris who was standing guard. 

She prayed that Loki would be wise enough to stay put until she returned with food. She had left him still sleeping, with a small note on the bed next to him, but what if the note had fallen or somehow disappeared? She couldn't think that way, not now. The questioning face of her colleague pulled her back to the present. "What?" 

He smiled knowingly, which puzzled Nova only more. 

"I was just asking if you would like me to add your team to mine's schedule?" 

Nova stopped in front of the door to her office. Afraid he was going to insist on coming inside "Yeah, sure, if you don't mind?" 

His smile only widened, "of course not, just sent me your instructions before lunch and let me know if you need anything else" He pointed at her full plate, "Buon Appetito" And walked on.

Chris gave her a wink as she opened the door to her office with a sigh. 

* * *

It was their first time working together as a whole team again and truth be told, Natasha had missed it as she silently landed on the roof. Clint landed a few meters behind, slightly pale from the uncomfortable lift Jarvis had given him. In the distance she could hear the deep roar of the Hulk and the sounds of machine-guns going off. The plan was simple, she and Clint would try and get their hands on as many intel as possible before Hydra had time to destroy it. So far none of her or Clint's contacts had gotten back with the location of the scepter and the lack of knowing didn’t sit well with her. It was of course to be expected that Hydra knew they were looking for it, and thus kept it hidden. But they hadn’t shown the same discretion covering up their presence in Europe. At least not until Nova started to gain some control over the façade. 

They were now on the roof of the Hydra base in Italy, Clint disarming the alarm system and picking the lock while Natasha covered him. She knew that the door they were currently working on was the only door to the roof, and yet, it wouldn’t surprise her if they had somewhere a secret doorway to attack them in the back. The moment Clint opened the door, lightning struck about 500 yards from their position and she smiled. 

When Thor had returned to the Avengers Tower just a week before he had looked almost haunted. Stating that his brother, Loki was dead -no surprise there for Natasha- so was Thor’s mother, apparently. He stated that he had decided to stay on earth and was no longer a prince of Asgard as he had gone without the official permission from the Allfather. He had told them about the events around the convergence, a scientific phenomenon that had brought a childlike excitement to both Bruce and Tony. It had been quite endearing. 

Thor had given himself a few days to mourn, his mother had already been given a funeral but Loki’s body was never found and even though he died in battle, without a body and a funeral his spirit would not enter Valhalla according to Thor. So they had given him space and he had made a small grave in the side garden of the tower, a stone with engraved runes covering the grave that held a book and Loki’s first ever set of knives that Thor had stolen from his brothers chambers on Asgard, where he had also found a lock of dark hair that he now proudly wore in braided into his hair.  And now he was back, and so was Steve. He had given up his search for Bucky after the trail ran dead in Romania. 

Clint signaled he was ready to open the door, jumping aside immediately to dodge the rain of bullets. So much for a quiet entry, she thought as she fired her gun over the tubing she was hiding behind. A scream told her she had hit at least one. Clint was on her 2 O'clock but he had the disadvantage of having to show more of himself before being able to take a shot. There is a reason why guns are better than a bow and arrows. A clattering sound told her he had thrown one of the grenades and she fell flat to the ground, covering her ears.

The shock wave left them in a cloud of red mist and dust, but at least the shooters were gone. "Nat?! Clint?!" pause "Tony, check the roof!" That was Cap's voice. Natasha coughed, her lungs trying to rid themselves of the dust. "I'm OK." She saw movement to her right and raised her gun. It was Clint "Same" he said over the coms. "So I don't need to come in and save your sorry asses?" 

She could see the lights from Iron-Man's repulsors. "No, we're good." 

"Roger that" 

Clint's eyes twinkled as he answered "It's Rogers, with an S." 

"Steve Son of Roger" Thor quipped and Natasha could almost feel how badly Steve itched to end the discussion. 

He was too late... "Really Capsicle? I thought your dad's name was Joseph?"

Natasha ignored the rest of the chatter, instead following Clint as they walked through the rubble to what once was the roof entrance or exit. So much for that quiet entrance... The stairs were empty but the moment they saw the hallway both stopped. 

"Uhm, Cap? If you can spare him... We can use some backup here." Clint shouted through the sound of guns firing and bullets hitting the stones. Both he and Natasha are forced to retreat back to the roof. 

"Tony!" 

"Yup don't sweat it, I'm on my way"

It didn't take long for the figure of Iron Man to land on the roof. "Twelve" Natasha shouted, pointing to the entrance. With a salute Ironman turned to the destroyed entrance, his shoulder pieces rising to make room for the missiles and disappeared down the stairs, his built-in speakers sounding the death march from Star Wars. Natasha and Clint follow behind, using the bulky armor as protection against the bullets. It takes less than a few seconds for Iron man to incapacitate the shooters. From there the spies spread out, cleaning room after room of technical staff, Leaving Iron man to deal with the heavy guns. They are looking for officers quarters or a computer but so far none is found. 

Natasha opens a door and immediately closes it, coughing against the smoke having filled her lungs. “They’re burning everything!” 

“Shit!” Tony curses as one especially well made armor piercing and exploding bullet winces itself between two plates on the side of his leg. Luckily it doesn’t explode. 

“Same here!” It’s Clint coming from a room similar to the one Natasha just closed. Outside they can hear the thunder rumbling and see the flashing light of Thor’s powers through the few windows. 

Clint points “Last hallway.” It is filled with soldiers, more carrying the heavy duty guns that are starting to take its toll on the Iron man suit. There are even two with Chitauri weapons and Iron man curses loudly at their sight. Before anyone can respond Hawkeye fires an exploding arrow into the hallway and after it goes off, all three of them go in. Through the fine red mist and black smoke still hanging there they find no survivors. Iron man destroys the Chitauri weapons while Natasha and Clint clear the last of the rooms. In contrast to the rest of the base these rooms are tidy, desks are cleared of paperwork and no-one is there. What there is left of the paperwork can be seen turning to ash in the fireplaces. 

“They must have known we were coming…”

* * *

Loki had woken up slowly in the sunshine coming from the positively tiny window. Finding Nova's note he had decided to wander about her rooms. They were tiny, not even the size of a broom cupboard on Asgard. Slowly he inspected everything, from the lack of personal touches, to the contents of her wardrobe and bathroom. Next to catch his attention was the strange dull humming noise coming from the door not leading to the bathroom. The humming or buzzing reminded him of his time on the Helicarrier and in Stark's prison, had he somehow found his way back there? Curious about the sound he had opened the door at the same moment a woman walked in what was clearly an office. 

Her eyes had turned to the sound of the door opening on the other end and in that split second Loki had transformed himself into a cat. A shape he was most familiar with, as it had saved him on multiple occasions on Asgard. Having forgotten about his injuries, he didn't pay attention to the wounds or the binding. Oh Norns, he had forgotten how it hurt to shapeshift, or use any of his powers for that matter, while healing, which is how he found himself being painfully snuggled by the woman who had entered. He tried to wriggle to freedom, which only resulted in more pain. To make matters worse the woman was pressing her snotty nose in his fur and he mewled lamentably.

"Lena?!?" Nova was back, finally. Loki's ears perked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Lena, who he figured was the woman holding him, was startled by the voice and finally released her tight hold on him so he could wriggle his way to freedom. He jumped down from her lap, landing sprawled on the floor, not able to catch his own weight graciously. With as much dignity as he could retain he struggled up and that's when the smell hit him. Meat, raw meat, fresh, raw meat that made his mouth water. Instead of retreating to the bedroom which had been his plan, he now found himself walking tight circles around Nova's feet, nose and tail turned up.

He continued his twisting, and turning, rubbing himself against her legs all the while until she, after placing the plate of food on her desk, escorted him back into the bedroom and shut the door on him. He could hear their voices on the other side of the door. What was worse, he could still smell the food. Desperately famished as he suddenly felt he started pawing at the door, scratching his nails over the surface to catch the attention of those on the other side.

It took what felt like eternity before the voices subsided and he could hear a door open and close. Then the door to the bedroom opened and Loki positively purred as he saw Nova standing there, holding the plate of food. She closed the door behind her and placed the food on the bed, far outside of his current reach. Of course he could try and jump up on the bed, but by now his whole body hurt and he was really looking forward to her picking him up and setting him next to the plate. Instead she ignored him, seeing the empty bed, she looked into the bathroom for a moment before turning to him. “Either you are him, or you know where he is. So show me?” She made some sort of helpless gesture, but all Loki could think was to order her to give him the food, which he conveyed by meowing and looking at her with big eyes. “Please turn back, I don’t have time for this and I would like to check your wounds.” 

For a moment the cat only blinked at her with it’s bright green eyes before a golden light swallowed it and grew to the proportions of a man. Just moments later Loki stood in front of her, doubled over and clutching his arms to his stomach from the pain of shapeshifting. Immediately she led him to the bed and sat him down. “You idiot! I told you to stay in my room.” She started checking his bandages, no blood had escaped the mighty duct-tape and she breathed a bit easier. 

“There was a sound.” He almost whispered it in her ear, as if afraid there was someone listening. 

“Well yes, we are in a castle, currently occupied by over 80 people, that tends to be audible.” 

He pushed her away harshly, making her stumble with her back against the wall, before he reached for the food. “I recognize the sounds of humans, thank you very much. What I heard was buzzing, like from bees.” 

Nova went to her closet to find her uniform. “It’s the middle of Winter, too cold for bees.” 

Loki rolled his eyes, not that she could see it from where she was standing. “I didn’t say I heard bees, I heard a buzzing, what you call technology, similar to the sounds in Stark’s tower.” 

That made her pay attention and she scurried into view wearing nothing but bra and panties as she looked at him with wide eyes. “You mean you can hear technology?!?” She squeaked. 

His eyes drifted over her figure, the strong muscles covering the curvy hips and strong thighs, the narrow waist, tiny breasts and-. She scraped her throat and his eyes shot up to her face, now colored a bright red and awkwardly she crossed her arms over her chest. 

He popped the grape in his smirking mouth, chewing and swallowing it reverently. “Well yes, why?” She had hidden behind the wardrobe again and came back into his view, completely clothed and tying her hair back into a tight ponytail. 

“There should be no other technology there except the lights-” 

“It wasn’t the lights!” 

“How can you tell?” 

He stopped trying to take a bite out of the bread, satisfying his hunger would have to wait. “Different types of technology sound different. Some hum, some buzz or hiss or crackle or whirr or hum or tick or any combination of those.” 

She sighed, her shoulders tightly held back as she slumped against the side of the wardrobe. He let her think it over for a moment, happy to continue eating. 

He was surprised when she let her face fall into her hands and slowly slid down to the ground. She had seemed fine a moment before, and now as her shoulders started shaking he realized she wasn't fine. She hadn’t been fine. He felt guilty for not paying attention to her, not properly. She had taken him in, cared for him, bound his wounds with the strange gray bindings which by now had started itching terribly. She had not sent him away, not asked him a single question as to how or why. Instead of showing his appreciation, his euphoria at finding her alive and well, relatively well, he had ordered her around, snubbed at her and ignored her note, making her life ever so more difficult. 

Ignoring his growling stomach he pushes the plate back to the foot of the bed and throws his legs over the edge. By Eir and all healers, why did he not heal quicker. Slowly he let himself slide down next to Nova and pulled her head on his shoulder. “Ssssh, everything is going to be fine.”

She shook her head, but didn’t pull away. “I thought you were dead.” 

The whisper, so soft even he has to strain his ears to hear, was not what he expected. The pain in that short line overwhelmed him and he held her tighter to his chest, tears brimming in his eyes. remembering the fall from the Bifrost, so similar to the feeling he had less than a day ago when he must have fallen from Svartalfheim. He had thought himself dead, or dying and here he was. The Norns were not done with him, not yet. 

“So did I. So did I.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!  
> I hope you all had lovely holidays.   
> Don't forget to comment and/or leave Kudos!  
> They help motivate me to continue writing.  
> Stay Safe, Stay Sane,  
> Aïnsa


	12. I didn’t say ‘ask nicely’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova has a bad day, Loki washes his face and Lena utilizes her acting skills

“Is there a problem?” Nova looks curiously at Loki who remains in the door opening to her bedroom as if walked into an invisible wall. 

“I can hear something.” 

She can barely suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She can hear it too. The footfalls and chatting of people past the door to her office, probably on their way back from the cafeteria. Through the window she can hear the shouting of orders to the recruits who have the luck to be training in the sunny afternoon. “Yes, as I mentioned before, there are over 80 people living here.” Loki closes his eyes, his head tilted slightly to one side, listening carefully. She raises her arms and then drops them to her side. “You know what? Figure it out. I don’t have time for this, I have to work.” She turns around and goes to her desk. She already lost precious time that morning with her emotional breakdown and even though she is still feeling shaky, the pile on her desk wasn’t going to magically go away. Maybe? No, she can’t ask him that, he would never agree. Also she might miss some important information hidden somewhere. 

It doesn’t take long to be immersed within her newest task. Checking the outgoing mail of the other higher ranked individuals. There isn’t much, only three for now, two officers and one agent have sent mail today. She starts with the one she knows best, Officer Bas, leader of one of the soldiers' teams that collaborates most frequently on her missions. Apparently Officer Bas has a wife and kids in the Netherlands who he sends drawings of himself depicted as a comic book hero. He is surprisingly good at drawing and the story is rather catching, but has nothing to do with his actual work in the base. 

The agent is only stated in the base for a short period. He arrived last week to lead a mission, which is now cancelled. He writes a letter to his superior, the lieutenant of a base in Russia that he has arrived safely but that due to circumstances the mission is postponed and he is to stay until eventually executed and completed. Which is of course complete bullshit since he is free to travel back now the mission is cancelled but Nova can totally understand that the climate here in Germany is much preferable to the harsh winters in Russia. Important information… There is a base in Russia. Somewhere in Russia… That is not of much help, as far as Nova knows, Russia isn’t small. But Natasha probably knows what possible locations are. 

Officer Sig who is in charge of the newest recruits and…. A high pitched noise rings through her office and immediately she looks up, her head whirring to the source of the sound while trying to cover her ears. Loki is holding a tiny box, the size of a set of playing cards, that is protesting loudly with the noise. He snaps his fingers and immediately it becomes quiet. 

“What the hell?” 

He throws her the box in answer and it clatters onto her desk. “I told you I heard something.” 

She blinks at him, slowly turning around and examining the box. “What is it?” 

“You’re welcome you know.” Loki is leaning against the bookcase examining the duct-tape still adorning his chest, his fingers plucking on it where the edges are coming loose. It must be itching terribly. 

“I first want to know what it is, or was…” 

“It is a surveillance machine, it can listen and perhaps also see what is happening in your office.” 

Immediately Nova throws the box against the wall as hard as she can, it bounces off unharmed and clatters across the floor. “You Imbecile! Now they know that I know and they know you are-” 

“It’s harmless.” 

“What? No! It’s not harmless! Those things are dangerous!” 

Loki sighs, picking the box up from the ground slowly, to not aggravate his now almost healed wounds. “I used my seidr, it is now harmless, it is the only one here and I soundproofed this room so we could talk freely and the people outside wouldn’t hear the noise or your shout-” He sees her bottom lip starting to shake and her face has become alarmingly pale. Just before her knees buckle he strides to her, lifting her from her chair and holding her to his chest. 

“Shit, shit shit. They know, they must know.” 

* * *

After her second emotional breakdown of the day Loki decided he was going to keep a close eye on Nova. She had explained to him what she was actually doing at the Hydra base so he could better understand the tension he could feel radiating off her all the time. However it did not explain her emotional outbursts. Perhaps that was a human thing. After all, humans were incredibly fragile. Then again, he had never experienced such a reaction from her. 

After her explanation Nova had finally calmed down enough to look at the surveillance device he had magically shut down. Electronic devices were apparently strictly forbidden in the base except for the highest ranked and the science division (and apparently the one television with a DVD-player, whatever that was). And even then only the basics or strict necessities were allowed. All electronics were monitored by one officer who was also responsible for the recruits with a, for midgardian principles, ridiculously short name of Sig. Then again Nova had explained that she was now known as ‘Officer No’ because Nova was apparently too long and ‘Nov’ was too difficult to pronounce for most. 

To keep his eyes on her, for strict caretaking reasons and not because he actually liked to study her, of course, and help her cope with the tension he had scouted the entirety of her office, bedroom and ensuite on any other of the listening devices, but he hadn’t found any. So now he had confiscated one of her books and was trying his hardest to ignore the way she had started pacing through her office, while he was pretending to read. Which was surprisingly difficult since every movement could be felt resonating through the floor. 

"I need to know why  _ that _ was in my office." 

"Then go ask him." 

"Really just ask?” 

He looks up from his book with a suggestive grin. “I didn’t say ‘ask nicely”

”I can’t do that!” Great, now she was shouting again. 

“It was just a suggestion… I could also sneak into his office and do it for you.” 

“Shut up, I'm thinking." she bites at him, the stress really getting to her. 

"I will not bother you any longer then." he gets up, closing his book as suddenly the door opens after a rapt knock. He immediately changes himself into the black cat, his book falling to the ground. Great, now he lost his page, he flicks his tail in frustration. 

"I swear that cat talks back to you when you're alone." It's Lena. 

"You heard?" 

she laughs, "You are not the only one who talks to themselves. But yes, pretty much everything you say in here we hear through the door." 

Nova's eyes go wide and she looks at the cat questioningly. Loki gets the irresistible urge to lick his paw and wash his face, so he does just that.

"Don't blame the cat! He can't help that the doors are thin." 

Nova resists the urge to roll her eyes, if only she knew. "Thanks, but my problem is not something you can help with." 

Lena picks up the book from the floor, earning a hiss from the cat. "Oh, sush, it's not as if you were reading it." 

Nova sends a warning glare to the cat, who replies with a majestic cat whine, before rubbing himself against Nova’s leg. She rolls her eyes, really Loki?. 

Lena doesn't notice, she puts the book on the desk and sits down next to it, facing both the door and Nova. "So, what is it you are thinking about?" 

* * *

“Sir, Sir, please, you have to help, we cannot get them under control, they are too strong!” Lena sounds out of breath and almost panicking as she addresses the officer whose office she just barged into. The officer in question, Officer Sig, is in charge of the newest recruits. A group of about 6 youngsters paired with four ex-army men who have a taste for fighting. It is therefore not really a surprise that Lena comes barging in the office during the recruits training period. 

“Who is handling the training?” He is already up and doesn’t see Nova standing just outside his door, instead looking straight through her as he signals his guard to follow. 

“Me and two others from the base team, but we’re just not strong enough. I already called…” They are too far away for Nova to hear, but just as expected the officer forgot to lock his door. 

Quickly she opens it and gets in. looking around the room so similar to hers, the furniture is the same and in the exact same setup. His desk looks completely different to Nova’s eternal mess. His personnel files, easily recognized by their contrasting color, are stacked neatly on one corner and a desk organizer holding pens and a stapler are on the other side. There is no evidence of his activities whatsoever. What had he been doing? Had he actually been working or just staring at the wall? As quietly as possible she walks towards the desk, since she found the bugs in her own office she assumes they are in all officers quarters, perhaps even in all rooms of the castle. 

She opens the top drawer, only to find an assortment of markers neatly lined up and organized by color. The next drawer contains a small stack of more personnel files, possibly an older team that has been moved to another base. She quickly glances through them, nothing there. She opens the last drawer on the left, more files, this time concerning missions. She recognizes most of them for being from missions in the last few months, and the older ones more in the back are not interesting. She moves to the other side of the desk. The top drawer holds post-it notes, a calculator, a perforator, the set of fine liners she lost three weeks ago at the weekly officers meeting. 

She contemplates stealing them back but recognizes the risk of being caught, so instead puts them back. At least she knows where they are now. The second drawer holds notebooks, mostly empty and the few that have been used are filled with poems. It comes as quite a shock to Nova to see the sensitive side of her always very in control colleague. They’re actually not that bad, but way too cheesy for Nova’s taste and she is curious who the recipient of these love declarations is supposed to be. 

As she gets to the last drawer, again the size large enough to hold files, it doesn’t open like a drawer, instead the handle flings to the side revealing a small keyhole. Good thing she came prepared. Swiftly, using the lock-picking set Lena had stolen from a thief during the mission in Italy to give as a Christmas present to Andrew, she opens the door to a cabinet with a stack of black files. A color she hasn’t seen in yet in her time at the base. They are stamped with red letters reading ‘Top Secret’ which makes it a bit too obvious for her taste. The only file not on the pile however, the one standing on the side catches her eye. There are no red letters on it and it is clearly put there to fade away against the dark inside of the cabinet as it is not actually black but in fact dark brown. 

Footsteps approach the door and moments later she hears the lock, no time to think she grabs the file and closes the cabinet, retreating to the closest wall. What had Loki told her about the spell he used? She would be invisible as long as they didn’t know she was there? She quickly stuffs the lock-picking set back in her pocket and pulls her shirt over the file at the moment the door opens. 

“I’m so sorry for alarming you sir.” She can hear Lena say, “I couldn’t know they had already resolved the fight and I was so scared. You see, I’m part of the special missions team and we are not used to dealing wi-” 

“Silence!” Officer Sig cuts her off. “Go back to your task, I will address this with your officer.” 

He walks into his room, again looking straight through Nova who is now slowly approaching the door, keeping close to the walls. 

He yanks open his desk drawer and quickly writes a note. “Here” he extends his hand to Lena who walks in, looking nervously at Nova before taking the note. “Take this to your officer, and don’t bother me again!” 

Quickly and quietly both women leave the office, Lena closing the door behind them. “How on earth did he not see you?” 

Nova scoffs, “People only see what they expect to see.” 

Lena shakes her head grinning, “I swear he looked straight at you.” 

Nova smiles as they arrive back at her door. “uhu, don’t you have something for me?” 

“Huh? Oh yeah, here you go.” She takes the note from Lena who stations herself outside the office as protection as Nova enters. 

She grimaces as she reads the note. ‘I caught your soldier, miss Lena, enjoying the company of my recruits rather than ensuring her officers safety. This of course is a horrible misstep and I assume you want this to be properly addressed. Please let me know if you require any further information. I would be pleased to assist on the matter. Officer Sig.’

Great now she will have to punish Lena. She quickly writes her answer to Officer Sig, having Lena send a recruit to hand him the message. A recruit that immediately senses what is going on and rather than leaving stays behind to listen to the punishment being given. The problem is, Nova doesn’t want to punish her team member. Especially not one who helped her steal a file. And certainly not in the way most soldiers are punished, with corporal punishment. 

She calls in her friend. “I am going to have to punish you” Whispering she adds ”I’m sorry.” 

Lena looks at the floor, “I know, It was to be expected, not?” she shudders, but Nova can see she is holding back laughter. 

Nova goes to sit behind her desk. Being remembered of the file still stuffed under her shirt. “Yes, but now I have to come up with something and you know that cleaning the toilets is not deemed a proper punishment for a soldier. It needs to be corporal.” Both women shudder at the thought.

Loki, having heard the voices meows plaintive from behind the closed bedroom door. Nova is almost certain he made that sound without changing to his cat form, it is remarkably cat-like and she prays the recruit still lingering outside her door hasn’t heard. Lena seems to shrink in on herself, keeping her head cast down. 

Whispering she continues “However, you were following my direct orders, they just cannot know.” Then louder again “So I sentence you to a diet of water and bread for the rest of the week. Make sure you are not caught eating anything else…” With a wink she softly adds “in public.” 

Lena’s head shoots up at that last addition. She smiles at Nova. “Certainly, you are a just leader to our team and I will carry my punishment willingly.” she states before turning around and leaving the room, shouting at the recruit who is still there. 

As the door to the hallway closes, the door to the bedroom opens and Loki walks out. “That was terribly harsh of you.” He states jokingly, briefly brushing his fingers over Nova’s shoulder, She freezes before relaxing into the touch. “Did you get what you wanted?” 

Nova smiles, “Yes, I think this will be rather interesting.” She says as she pulls the file from under her shirt and drops it on the desk in front of her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading,  
> Don't forget to leave Kudos or a comment if you enjoyed!  
> Stay safe, Stay sane!  
> Aïnsa


	13. Give me my hot shower or I’ll kill you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets up to some mischief, Wanda throws a pen, Robbie watches a documentary and Doom fixes the plumbing.

Loki is bored. Again. It has only been a day since Nova left to guide her team on their assigned missions and it had only been a day since he had started to feel like his old self. Finally being completely healed and having full access to his seidr. It had taken a while, granted that he had to heal from the inside out. All the while keeping himself busy with reading and checking up on Nova whenever he could. It was not as if there was a lot more he could have done in his condition. 

And now she is gone. He had solemnly sworn not to show himself to anyone, to stay in her rooms as much as possible. He had sworn, figuring she would be back shortly and that he would have something to do. He was wrong. He had during his resting period already finished all her books and now there was nothing left to do. 

Not only was he bored, he was itching. Underneath his skin. Where he had previously kept his mind occupied with books, his thoughts now started to remind him of his deeds. What he had done, to Frigga. How he had helped to orchestrate her death. Perhaps unwittingly, yes, but that didn’t bring her back. And then how he had forced himself within Nova’s space, forced her to take him in and to care for him. All the while ignoring her needs and wishes. She obviously didn’t want him there. Norns, she hardly tolerated him at best. 

He needed a distraction. He had behaved now for a week. Staying in her rooms, eating what she brought him. Helping her remain calm. Helping her steal the files, given that actually wasn’t so bad. Doing everything he could to help ease her tension. He hadn’t even put up much of a fight as she had ripped out his precious few chest hairs removing those awful sticky bandages. Apparently that was a thing her ex-boyfriend used to do to himself and Loki couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to do something like that voluntarily.

Somehow it hadn’t helped much, she still tensed every time she heard a noise outside the door. It seemed to get worse every day. She would wake up in the middle of the night from every movement or sound. He had stopped touching her, even though he wanted to, as he had noticed her recoil from any form of physical contact. She still slept on the floor rather than sharing the bed. Perhaps his colder temperature was what had set her off, or she had finally figured out what a monster he was. But how could she know he was responsible for his mothers killing? 

He hadn’t told her, he wasn’t going to. She would send him away. Want nothing left to do with him, and even though she was just a weak, mortal midgardian, he had grown quite fond of her. The old Loki would not have done so. The old Loki would not have cared for such a low life form. He had grown weak himself for doing so. No. He hadn’t. Had he? Sometimes dark voices would still whirl around in his mind. He dismissed them. She didn’t know. She wouldn’t know. He didn’t need her, he was just doing her a favor, repaying his debt. 

Now she was gone, to another country, the neighboring country, promising to be back soon. How far was that country? He could teleport, he could travel everywhere within seconds, she couldn’t, it could take her days to get there for all he knew. The itching got worse, he wanted to get out, to do something, manage some mischief, bring some chaos to this structured and disciplined base where everyone followed the rules and nothing exciting ever happened. He was the god of mischief after all. A few pranks wouldn’t hurt, would they?

And so that first day he magically changed the hot and cold water taps. Laughing every time he heard someone scream or curse as they stepped under the ice-cold or burning-hot shower. The second day he addled with the weights in the training area, making them all five times heavier and laughing at the male soldiers struggling to lift the 10kg dumbells over their heads while being shouted at by their trainers for being weak. On the third day he pulled a prank that backfired horribly as he exchanged the salt and sugar grains and was forced to eat his breakfast fish with sugar rather than salt, it was horrible. That one was reversed within the hour. 

On the fourth day he got up extra early to beat the recruits on laundry duty and exchanged the detergent for golden fabric dye, knowing he would not see the results that day he enjoyed the fruits of his first two pranks while he waited. Contemplating to exchange shampoo for hair dye in order to make everyone’s hair match their upcoming wardrobe change. Perhaps he just still wasn’t used to Nova’s fake hair color. 

She had such pretty hair, wild, unruly, chaotic, never seemingly one color but streaked with darker and lighter tones. Now it was this horrible unicolored blonde that reminded him of Fandral, why had she changed it? Not that there was anything wrong with Fandral’s hair, it used to be silky soft to the touch. That was a long time ago. Before Fandral had joined the warriors three. When Loki had still been good enough rather than the annoying little brother. 

It is then, as he is sitting on the bed, looking out the window and contemplating his relationship with Thor’s blonde friend. That a tired Nova enters her office finally returning from her missions. Her head low, eyes drooping, she stretches her back, not sparing Loki a glance. Which was perhaps a good thing since his saintly expression would have immediately alerted her to his mischief. Instead she immediately locks herself in the bathroom and turns on the shower. It isn’t long until she shouts her unhappiness as she stepps under the icy cold shower. “LOKI!”

He walks to the door, “Yes, dear?” hardly containing his grin, he used the words often heard being spoken by two of her favorite team members. The couple that somehow never entered her office together since his arrival. Apparently one of them was very allergic to cats, whatever that may be. He could hear her voice over the noise of the spraying water.

“I'm not your ‘Dear’. Give me my hot shower or I’ll kill you!”

He was impressed, in all his time spent with her, she had not once lost her patience with him like this. Also it was kind of intriguing to see how she would attempt to kill him, knowing she would never succeed. Completely healed, he was no longer at her mercy. 

“Try turning the other tap, darling.” The water stops running and then starts again a moment later. 

“Don’t you dare ‘darling’ me!” He could hear her stepping under the shower spray, the mental image playing horribly with his imaginations as she exclaims: “Ooh, that is better.” 

* * *

Wanda was already scribbling her name at the bottom of the page as he read over the text once more. “Could lead to serious injury and in long term disability or possibly death? Are you sure we want to do this lil’ sis?” He almost couldn’t believe what he was reading and this was the third contract they were going through. 

The first one being a legal matter, since both of them were only just of age. The second being a contract of silence, which he wasn’t really surprised about since what they were doing here was obviously illegal. Human experimenting. From all the things he and his sister had done trying to gain back control over their lives and their country, this was probably the strangest.

They had organized and led multiple protests against the UN peace enforcing and peacekeeping missions. So far with no result other than both spending multiple nights behind bars. And every time they were taunted again by the culprit of their misfortune. Every time his name was spelled nice and clearly in front of them. On the weapons carried by the UN armies, on the foreign television programmes broadcasted on every radio and every television. Stark. 

The reason why they were doing this. Now finally they were able to really do something. They were grown ups now. Allowed to take care of themselves, as if that was a privilege and not the harsh reality they had lived in the past 8 years. But they lacked the means to win against a multimillionaire who was conspiring with superhumans and even gods. Not that any of those had ever personally set foot in their country. No, they had commented on the problems from the safety of their own continent. Which was worse. 

A man named List had approached them during their last riot, stating that he had the means to help them reclaim Sokovia for their own people and finally free it from the invading -so called 'peace' - forces. 

They had complied, either out of curiosity or because they were getting fed up with not being able to do much. And that is how they found themselves here. In a desolate school on the outskirts of Sokovia, reading through what was possibly the strangest contract ever drawn up in human society. Notably, they were not alone, there were more, young, healthy people reading the same contract. 

It was only now, that he was reading about possible death that Pietro started to wonder if this really was the best option. Wanda looked at him, the same emotions playing on her face. But her eyes show only resolve. “Yes, we are going to do this, don’t tell me you are afraid?” 

Pietro puffs out his chest “I am not afraid, but if I turn superhuman I cannot take care of you all day. I need to save Sokovia. And I want to do that with you.” 

Wanda smiles, her brown eyes sad for a moment, contemplating all they had lost, before the resolve returns. “We will not lose each other, we will always be together, forever, we swore”

Pietro rolls his eyes, that was a pinky swear they did after surviving the attacks when they were 10 years old. That they would always remain together, helping each other. It is what they had always done and it was what they would always do. “Now, sign the bloody paper!” He ducks away from the pen Wanda throws at his head and signs his name at the bottom. No turning back now, but he believes his sister, and if she is sure they would both survive, then they would. She has a tendency to be right about those kinds of things. 

* * *

"You are not going to believe this" Lena and Ross burst through the door to Nova's office. Loki only just had time to change into the black cat. Nova looked generally spooked, her heart racing at an unhealthy speed, as both her friends looked at her expectantly.

She blinked a few times, pulling herself together. "what?" by now Ross had walked to the chair that hosted Cat Loki and was cuddling the increasingly distressed looking creature to his chest as Lena perched on the desk. "Robbie is watching a documentary" "really?" Nova found herself feeling skeptical. Robbie was known for his love of American animation series such as the Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy. He even preferred to skip those episodes remotely educational or politically charged. "yes" Ross jumped in. "some of the other new recruits recommended it to him." 

Nova recalled what she knew of their newest team, a fanatical group of six youngsters, mostly from Poland and Sokovia. Perhaps it was a documentary about the second world War? "What was it about? The na- third Reich?" shit, Nazi's was not really a term hydra approved. Neither of her teammates seemed to notice however as Lena cheerfully replied "No, you'd think so, right? It's a nature one, with that famous... Oh damn, what's his name?" Ross grinned "Sir David Attenborough" he exaggerated in a fake British accent before returning to his normal voice addressing Lena "You're the Brit here you know... Why is it that I know and you don't?" Lena chose to ignore him. "He said something about a bird, with blue feet"

That description only ushered more questions and it wasn't long until all three got into the ‘leisure room’ where the group of what Nova guessed were ten of the youngest recruits and soldiers were locked onto the screen. And indeed on the screen was a bird slightly walking like a penguin, with striking blue feet. They weren't the only team members to have come and see. Bertrand and Herman had stopped paying attention to their game of pool to look at the small crowd slowly assembling behind the group watching TV. It didn't take long before the narrating voice of David Attenborough mentioned the name of the strange creature. 

A name that made the younger one's shout with laughter and the occasional "I told you!" while the older ones rolled their eyes or shook their heads at those reactions. Nova couldn't help but snicker as she walked back to her office. She still had to finish her presentation on the course of the missions her team had finished. As she closed the door behind her the cat on the chair looked indignantly at her before turning back into the man. 

"So? What was all the fuss about?" shuffling through her papers in search of her pen Nova replied distractedly "Robbie was watching a documentary" she picked up another pen, not her favorite, and she grimaced as it hurt her strained hand. "Yes, I was here when they told you... about what?'' Nova looked forward, a small smile playing around her lips as she dropped the pencil. "A bird, with blue feet" Loki sighed exasperated "Yes, I know that too. But apparently there was something about this bird that makes you smile this way" by now Nova could hardly keep still, she was shaking with laughter. The worst part was, she didn’t even know why she was laughing. It wasn’t even that funny. Perhaps it was the corniness that had come over her after being sleep deprived while writing reports. She just couldn’t help herself as she burst out "it was a Blue Footed Booby" 

* * *

“Ah, Officer No, Just the person I need.” The voice is one which robotic tones she by now would recognize anywhere. Especially since the last month it wasn't unusual for him to walk around in the base. He had even attended some of the officers meetings. However she still didn't feel at ease around him. Rather the opposite as she turns around. 

“Dr. Doom, What a pleasure.” she plasters a smile on her face as she waits for him to catch up with her. She was just returning from the Lieutenants offices after reporting her findings of absolutely nothing within the outgoing mail and her reports on the finished missions. Honestly she is surprised to not have seen the bulky figure in the hallway. 

Then again she has noticed him popping up at random places, as if he too was able to teleport. By now the man has caught up with her and is looking her up and down. “You look tired, officer, is something the matter?” 

“absolutely nothing” except of course that she is hiding a Norse god in her chambers and providing information to the Avengers about the comings and goings within the base and that she knows it will only be a short week from now before the Avengers will raid said base, but that is not something she can talk about with him, or anyone for that matter, so the answer is no, there is nothing. It is clear from his face that he doesn’t believe her. She sighs “I’ve only just returned from two missions, so I might be a bit tired.” 

“Ah, I see, didn’t trust the soldiers enough to leave them without your supervision?” 

That shocks her, she loves her team, they are her friends. “ehm, no… I trust them with my life! I assure you my team is incredibly capable!” 

He makes a shushing motion with his arms. 

“I guess I just missed the excitement of going on a mission rather than staying here, cooped up inside with reports all day.”

“Ah, of course, and you are still so young, the energy always needs an outlet.” He touches her arm for a moment, making Nova freeze. “So you weren’t here yesterday?”

“I only just returned a few hours ago, why?”

“There was some strange activity on the base, something they needed my expertise for.”

He looks at her expectantly but sighs disappointed as he sees she doesn’t get it.

“Have you heard from your old master lately?”

Nova blinks, “Loki? Ehm, no? Wasn’t he executed on Asgard for his crimes?” Oh shit, what has Loki done in her absence? It is only then that she recalls the shower incident from a few hours earlier, which she expected he had only done to her. What if he had changed the hot and cold water throughout the entire base. She can feel the blood running away from her face. This was not good. 

He raises an eyebrow. “You would probably know better than me. Anyway it doesn’t matter. I have already undone the damage, whoever caused it.”

“Good, that’s good.” Nova’s mind is still reeling as Dr. Doom continues. 

“Yes, well, like I said, it is my expertise.” It is then that he stops her and corners her against the wall. “Let’s not forget after all, that both you and your former master owe me, not only for your flight to the American continent but also for your current position and the fact that you are still alive.” He places his hand on her shoulder, pushing her against the wall, his hand heavy, almost making her knees buckle. “As far as I recall you haven’t given me anything yet in return, don’t forget. You owe me. You both.” As he walks away he calls over his shoulder. “Tell him I don’t appreciate cleaning up his mess.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> If you enjoyed, please leave kudos or a comment!  
> Tips and tops are also welcome.  
> Stay safe, Stay sane!  
> Aïnsa


	14. You are a terrible liar, you know that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow now that things really start to happen the chapters turn out longer. Please let me know if it bothers you or if you prefer this over the previous length. I might be able to take it into account. 
> 
> Loki returns home, Nova takes some risks and Tony hears of an old acquaintance.

“.. and then she- Are you even listening?” The man is trying to hide himself into the ground, making himself as small as possible, all the while whimpering and praying like he has been doing ever since Loki dragged him into the room. He signals with his fingers and the man is forced into a sitting position, looking at the god with a tear-streaked face. “Now, where was I, Ah, yes. Then she told me to leave, can you believe it? After everything I did for her? So ungrateful. Not unlike you in fact.”

The man starts whimpering again, “Please don’t kill me, please let me live, you killed her? Don’t kill me too! I beg you!”

“See, that is what I mean.” Loki again signals and the man’s mouth closes as on que, his bulging eyes darting to the two death figures by the door. Loki didn’t mean for them to die, but they attacked him, self defense, not his fault.

“Good, now that I know you are actually listening… ah, your question, no, I didn’t kill her, we had an argument, that is no reason to kill anyone.” 

The old man’s features don’t change. Not that they can, he is forced to immobility by Loki’s seidr. 

“Apparently I’m immature and selfish, take no responsibility for my actions and don’t care about anybody's safety other than my own.” 

Again no reaction. 

“Perhaps she is right.” 

One of the man’s eyebrows quivers. 

“No, no, you are right, it is absolutely not my fault. I haven been locked in and cooped up for so long it should have been expected, you are absolutely correct my friend. She should have seen it coming. It was only natural. In fact it should be seen as a gargantuan accomplishment that I lasted without for so long. Don’t you think?” 

The man almost collapses as the seidr retracts. 

“My lord?” he stammers. 

Loki smiles. “Ah, it seems you have learned your lesson, wonderful. Fact is however, that even if it was in no way my fault, I'm still without lodgings. Now, you don’t mind me staying here for a while, won’t you?”

The man shakes with fear, his eyes now cast to the ground, no longer able to look at the god. “It would be our honor, oh mighty Lord.” 

Loki smiles, It is almost as if he returns home. Technically speaking he has returned home. About 800 years ago he and Thor visited midgard together for the last time and he built a temple in secret. By now it is no longer a temple to worship him, sadly, it had first been a Christian church, ugh, before becoming the house of a rich member of the Swedish royal family. A bit meager by Asgardian standards but for his temporary earthly lodgings they would do absolutely perfect. It is not as if his temple would have survived without care for that long, and he was a prince after all. 

The man in front of him was not actually a member of the royal family but the groundskeeper who lived in the adjacent building with his wife, the housekeeper and upheld the building and the grounds while the owner was away. 

The outside woodwork had been exchanged for stones and the building now showed multiple floors with large windows. In fact, nothing seemed to be left of the temple he once built here. He slowly turns in a circle, taking in the white marble with golden accents. “Do you know this used to be a temple dedicated to me?” He turns back to the man. 

“Yes my lord, the temple still exists.” the man kneels, his forehead pressed to the ground. 

“There is no more need for groveling my friend. Please show me.”

Shaking the man stands up and starts walking, through the hallways towards the old churchy part and then down the stairs. 

“When the Christians came they built their church on top of the temple. The temple was rediscovered about 40 years ago and excavations and renovations were completed about seven years ago.” The man starts talking as if he recites from a book. “The temple was used to worship the heathen god Loki.”

“I don’t like that term”

The man falters, stops walking and starts stuttering. 

“If you must use a term, I would prefer ‘pagan’ over ‘heathen’. You see, I'm not uncivilized or savage but I do see myself as a god to the people who worship nature.” 

“They are not interchangeable my lord?”

Loki sighs, “No, they are not, at least not completely, heathen means someone who is not adhering to a specific group of monotheistic religions worshipping the god of Abraham and by extension an uncultured, uncivilized and savage individual. Pagan means someone practicing indigenous and polytheistic religions, a class of religions often associated with nature rituals. In old Norse however heathen relates to the word heiðr which translates to honor or worth, while there is no word for pagan in old Norse, the closest relative is the Finnish word pakana which means to plot or to scheme in an evil way, which is although not very positive, something I can relate to. You know what, let’s forgo these confusing terms and just continue, I would like to see how much damage your so-called restoration has inflicted upon my temple.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Now, hurry up, I have more to do today.” 

As they walked down the stairs the man continued with his tour. “Seven years ago the renovations were finished and we are open for public visits every summer. Every winter we host the local midwinter festival on the castle grounds.” Loki suppresses a shudder, not only is his sacred temple visited every summer by those not believing, they now hold midwinter, or yule a festival to celebrate Odin at his temple. 

“Hmmm, tell me about the changes.”

“Changes, my lord? We tried to renovate it back to its original state as much as possible.”

“Really?” his voice was dripping with sarcasm as he studied his surroundings. Of course he had no idea how much of the original structure had remained for them to work with, but this was preposterous. The walls were wood, that they got right, but barren, no decoration, no paint, no markings, no gold. The altar was the only thing engraved, depicting him and his deeds, again some of them, and not the most flattering ones. It was cold and bleak, white light from the buzzing lamps marking everything in coldness. It was damp, cold and sad. Nothing like it had been when he left it. 

However warmth and coziness hadn’t been the only reasons for him to build his temple here. Right there, in the left back corner was a weakness in the midgardian barrier. A place where if one knew how, could pass from world to world. A place to access the Yggdrasil. That is what he was here for. A doorway to other worlds or in this case, the other side of the world. 

He had always prided himself on his ability to ‘skywalk’ as Thor had named it in a flare of jealousy. He was after all one of the few who didn’t need the Bifrost to travel between worlds. No-one had ever bothered to ask him how he did it. And he had never bothered to tell anyone that it wasn’t really a skill, rather knowledge of the places where the barrier was thin enough to coax and manipulate it to do his biddings. It wasn’t like his ability to teleport, which needed a lot more power depending on the distance and was limited to within the barrier of the world he currently walked. 

Right now he had a plan, during his time in his prison on Asgard, he had plotted his revenge. Thinking, Knowing he would never be able to execute his plans. Oh, how things change. Which was why he needed the portal. Yes, he could still teleport himself to the other side and back, but that would immediately deplete him of his energy and require days of replenishment every time he did that. This would make his plans so much easier to execute. As he walked through the doorway and stepped out on the doorstep of Midtown School of Science and Technology dressed as Captain America. This was going to be fun. 

* * *

Are there really that many bases? Nova flips through the thick files in the upper drawer of the filing cabinet, hurrying herself, she doesn’t have much time. Gehenna, no. Tarantula, really? That’s Australia, so no, Crown base. These are just too many. And why aren’t they ordered alphabetically? Think Nova. Think.

She would hate to come up empty handed. But even with her months of working at the base, two of which as an officer, she still hadn’t found the location of Loki’s scepter. Loki. perhaps she had been too hard on him. Sending him away like that. His powers would have come in handy right now. No. 

That’s not fair, she missed him, not just his powers. The way he made her feel safer at night even though he slept like a baby. But ever since he had started feeling better he had become more of a nuisance. First his behavior had changed. From the light touches in the beginning that she had welcomed even though they always took her by surprise. He stopped doing that, stopped touching her. 

Then there was the thing with the bed. He had occupied her bed for over a week and not once asked her if she would me more comfortable sharing rather than on the ground. In the beginning she had figured he still hurt too much and was afraid she would move in her sleep and make it worse. But even in the latter stages of his recovery he had given her no indication he would like her to join. He didn’t even have to like it, just wouldn’t mind would have been enough. Perhaps he just felt awkward, didn’t want to turn her down. She had kissed him after all, without asking if it would be alright. Perhaps she had crossed a boundary then that made him uncomfortable around her. 

Somehow the chivalry she had seen often between Thor and Jane and even between Stark and Pepper. Perhaps that wasn’t just Loki’s thing, but she had cared for him. And never, not even once had he thanked her for it. For anything, not for the food, the bed, the medical care. 

Shit, she had been going over the names of these files for the past five minutes without actually reading them. So lost in her own thoughts. Focus Nova! She didn’t have that much time before the lieutenant would be back. 

They must have a project or an operation around the thing right? So find it, skip locations. She shuts the top drawer and opens the next one. This one contains considerably less folders and the folders itself are less thick. Hurriedly she glances at the clock, not much time left. 

They are ordered by alphabetical order, Avenger initiative, Blizzard, Centipede. She pulls a face. ugh, more human experimenting. Cerberus, Deathlock, Destroyer of worlds. That sounds way too ominous. Distant star return. That folder shows the Nasa logo with some related files to an abandoned NASA project. Extremis, Framework, Insight, wasn’t that the program Captain America had destroyed last year? Lighthouse, Master man, Paperclip, Patriot, Rebirth, Winter Soldier. That last one catches her eye. That must be it. Right? Making super soldiers using the scepter.

She opens the file and starts reading, “Super soldier serum, no, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, no? Come on! Where are you stupid stick?” click-clack click-clack. Nova can feel herself freezing as she hears the approaching sounds of the unmistakable heels. Stuffing the file back where it belongs. 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit” She can hear the lieutenant talking outside the door as she quickly shuts the drawers of the filing cabinet she had been rummaging in. The door opens, showing the blond woman who doesn’t seem shocked as she sees Nova standing at the other side of her office. “Officer No, What do you think you are doing here?” 

“I’m sorry Lieutenant, I need to speak to you.” 

“Speak”

“I have more information on the mole.”

“And you couldn’t wait to tell me so you broke into my office during my afternoon inspections?” She slowly circles Nova towards her desk.

“I first waited outside, but..uhm..”

“Yes?” Her nails drumming on the metal of the filing cabinet as she rummages through the same files Nova went through earlier. 

“I was afraid he or she might find out what I was going to report and uhm… dispose of me before I could hand you the information.”

The lieutenants head whips around, her eyes sparkling dangerously. “Really, please, do tell, what proof do you have that the mole is killing?” 

Nova looks at the floor, this is bad, she got caught and now there is nothing she can do. 

“You see,” The lieutenant continues, “I have been in contact with the other bases and the mole is from within our location, which is bad. Now of course I’m not stupid, the only ones going to sent a mole right now are the Avengers, since they are hunting us down by the dozen. With the exception of perhaps Captain America the avengers don’t really care whether the organization survives or not. They want the scepter. Whose location is unknown to anyone except the Baron and those working directly with it. So, what vital information have you found that is so urgent I need it right now?” 

She is onto me, is all Nova can think. And if they find out now, she is lost. Her best exit strategy left, teleporting his way out of her life. Yes she had argued with Loki after she found out about him sabotaging the base. No, she wasn’t actually mad at him, she was more mad at herself for not realizing. No, she was mad at him. A little bit at least. He had put her life, her position in danger. Not only giving away that he was still alive, but also his location to Dr. Doom. putting her right in the middle. She had asked him to leave, to go and wreak havoc anywhere else on the planet but near her. She had seen the pain, the rejection in his eyes before he got himself together and left. She hadn’t wanted him to go. Now her nights were even more restless. With only a week to go and no-one to help her out. She had become reckless, breaking into the offices of her fellow officers, questioning an agent from another base using some of the experimental truth serum and now breaking into the Lieutenants office. Her last resort. And what had it yielded? Nothing. She still didn’t know the location of the scepter. At least now she knew that the location couldn’t be found within this base. 

“Someone is setting me up.”

“Oh really, that is your excuse.” It is clear from the lieutenant's tone that she no longer believes Nova who is now scrambling for words.

“I found a letter in the post, typed where I always write mine by hand. Also the address was wrong, I write to one person, and one person only, an old pen pal from Germany. I’ve been trying to get her to join for a while, now I just write her as friends. This letter, the one I found, was addressed to the states.” 

Technically speaking none of this was a lie. Her pen pal in Germany had retired and the last letter she sent had been addressed to a laboratory in Atlanta, as was the one she had now typed rather than written. It had been due to the minor injuries on her right hand that she had not written the letter, but the lieutenant didn’t know that. She hoped, as she hid that hand further in her pocket.

“You are a terrible liar, you know that?” The Lieutenant leans over her desk, her eyes boring into Nova’s. 

“It is not a lie!”

“Then go bring me that letter, Officer No.” 

* * *

“How is that crowd control you were working on coming along, Tony?” Steve is standing at the head of the conference table, looking at the hologram floating above it. This is the third base that is too close to civilization for his liking. The genius is positively lounging in a chair, not paying attention to the hologram or the briefing but rather focused on the tiny phone-like device and screwdriver in his hand he is tinkering with.

“Should be good to go, Jarvis is ready to operate.” 

“They’re tested, right?” 

“No, But they work.”

Steve feels his expression fall “No? Wait? What have you been doing last week?”

That past week all Steve can remember is that other than Bruce they were locked out of the lab while the two scientists worked almost around the clock on something. The occasional blast and electric breakdown had him convinced they had been testing the system, since that was what he had asked Tony to do. He had assumed wrong. Of course he perhaps hadn’t been completely focused on the scientists as he and Sam finally seemed to have a solid lead when it came to finding Bucky. A solid lead that again turned to dust the moment they got anywhere close. 

“We launched Veronica.” Bruce mixes himself in the discussion as he pulls Steve from his thoughts. All attendants focus on the scientist, who immediately seems to want to disappear into the wall. “Veronica.” Steve sounds suspicious as he looks at them, hoping that they didn’t launch a rocket with a woman inside. Bruce wouldn’t be that stupid, right? JARVIS is the one to respond, as the hologram shows him a picture of the strangely square-ish rocket. “Of course” he responds, still having no idea what it is or is supposed to do. 

Stark sighs, looking up from his device. “Veronica is extra precaution in case the Hulk goes haywire. It contains a containment chamber, a Mark XLIV suit and two full sets of spare parts.” Clint comes in the mix “Mark XLIV that was the big heavy lifting one?” He is carefully inspecting the new arrowheads Tony handed him just before the briefing. They are apparently electrocuting, a similar system to Natasha’s stingers. Steve knows they need information from the hydra personnel and so far all of them have either disappeared or fought to the death. Hopefully these arrowheads will help with that. 

“No, That was Mark XXXVIII, Igor, he got destroyed last year, Mark XLIV is the Hulkbuster.”

“Catchy name”

“Can we get back to the plan now?” 

“I thought we were waiting for Natasha”

At that moment the door opens and Thor walks in followed by Natasha. They both look very serious as the latter commandeers the hologram. 

“You can stop waiting. I just got news from Germany, we gotta move, quick.”

That catches everyone's attention. They have only one spy left within hydra, the others rescued or MIA since they were too low-ranked to gain any real intell or in some cases possibly switched sides or were discovered. 

Clint is immediately on high alert. “What happened?”

“Nova’s last letter, it just got here, she’s been made.”

“How can she write us letters if she’s made?” Clint sounds suspicious as he reads through the letter. “They would have killed her on the spot.”

“Apparently not” 

“Let’s go, now!” Thor is ready for action, almost summoning his weapon before Steve pushes his arm down. “We need a plan.”

Clint’s eyes are scanning the page. “Are you sure she wrote this? It’s typed, not written as usual.” 

“It’s her signature.” 

Clint completely ignores Steve as he continues, “This could be a setup. On one hand, if we respond they know she is dirty and they will kill her. On the other hand she might have changed sides and this will all be one big trap to catch us.” 

“I believe Miss Nova to be an honorable woman, she will not betray us!” 

“Yeah, sure, didn’t you swear the same about little rock of ages?”

“People change Thor. It’s an option we cannot afford to ignore.”

Natasha ignores the argument, instead focusing on Bruce who has stepped forward as he is carefully studying the letter. 

“What are these indentations?” he asks. Natasha cannot believe she missed it as she looks at the letter again. Focusing on the words that Bruce is pointing at. There seem to be tiny indentations as if another letter is pressed on the same location but without the tape. 

“Jarvis, pull up a scan of the original and enhance the indentations.” Tony looks up hurt as she orders this. He still is quite sensitive as to who orders his AI. 

“It spells ‘doom’?” Thor is the first to figure it out.

“That’s a bit ominous isn’t it?” Clint raises his eyebrow as he looks between Natasha and Steve. 

“What does she mean by that?” The latter reacts, Natasha remains quiet as she worries her lip in thought. 

“Prepare for your doom!” Tony snickers. 

“That sounds like something a hydra person would say.” The captain sounds resigned, his shoulders lowering just a bit. 

“There’s more. D… R….?” Bruce has put on his glasses and is typing away on the nearest keyboard, enlarging the indentations. 

“Dr. Doom?” Steve starts searching his memory for a ‘doom’ during his time fighting Hydra but he cannot recall anyone with that name. That doesn’t say much however, since it was over 70 years ago. 

Natasha finds it hard to believe, it doesn’t seem to make sense. “Jarvis?”

“Doctor Doom. Full name is Victor von Doom.”

“Hey! I know that guy. He’s a genius, used to have a robotics factory. What’s he doing these days?” Tony’s eyes light up hearing about his old acquaintance. 

“Dr. Doom is now the head of state of Latveria.”

“Good for him.”

“Latveria?”

“Latveria, a small city-state between Romania and Hungary.” Information starts to pile up on the screen. It’s not a whole lot, some trading contracts with neighboring countries involving robotic patents mostly and a media ban for outside media which explains the lack of information. Tony is already tapping away on his phone as Natasha takes her out of her pocket, she’s going to call some of her old contacts, see if they know more. Bruce is softly explaining to Thor why the lack of information is so important as Clint and Steve start to discuss what the message could mean. 

“You think Doom is working with Hydra?” 

“I don’t even know who this Doom person is. Maybe? I wouldn’t put it past hydra to blackmail a whole country into cooperation. Especially if that country is known for making robots.”

“What if it is the other way around?”

“If Doom has already attacked Hydra and Nova is caught by him?” 

“It would make sense. He is in eastern Europe and doesn’t want competition or focus our attention on the area.” 

“Jarvis, can you show us what is going on in both Latveria and Castle Fussen?”

“Captain, the Castle has not changed since you last asked but my sensors and cameras are blocked from looking into Latveria in detail but I can tell you the country does not seem to be at war.”

That makes the spy and the soldier look at each other pointedly, this could potentially turn into a disaster. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoyed,   
> Please don't forget to leave kudos or a comment!
> 
> Stay safe, Stay sane.  
> Aïnsa


	15. Am I still on the mystic art naugthy list?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena wears a blanket, Clint is nervous and Loki drinks tea.
> 
> Trigger warning: non consensual drug administration & kidnapping

Today was the day. Nova hadn’t been able to sleep, packing and repacking her back and then when she had finished for the hundred time she had tried to sleep. It resulted in her tossing and turning until the wee hours. She had around 4 o’clock decided to get out of bed and get ready and ever since she had been pacing through her office. There were still some things to do, she had to warn her team. Get them out of harm's way. And then there was the problem of Doom who had practically started living in the base. 

He had been following her around, joining her for breakfast. He had hardly left her alone in the past week. And whether it was out of mistrust or some sort of fatherly protection she didn’t know. But he was there, when she walked the hallways, at every meal. He even attended the daily meeting with the officers. Perhaps he knew, he figured out about Loki after all. She wouldn’t put it past him to have figured out the rest of it. 

He was the reason she didn’t dare to go early and warn her team, after all she knew he was keeping an eye on her. Just before breakfast wasn’t too early was it. Or was it? She didn’t know the plan from the Avengers, but so far they had mostly attacked the bases either in the early morning, before or during breakfast or just before dinner. At times when the soldiers would be least focused. That meant that she didn’t have much time. 

Time to go, time to get the ball rolling. She picked up her bag and used the side door of her office to go directly into the dorm belonging to her team. . They all looked up surprised as she barged in. She had never used that door, ever. None of them ever had. Her eyes scanned over her team. Bertrand having just returned from the shower in nothing but a towel made her blush and quickly avert her eyes, to Lena. Who was in what she assumed was Andrews bed as it wasn’t hidden by the provisory curtain they had hanged to give the two women some privacy. 

Andrew was not there, probably at the shower, along with Ross and Chris judging from the loud German singing in the bathroom. Elias was standing guard at her door since only his shoes were missing. She couldn’t see Tetiana, hidden behind the curtain. Robbie was still in bed, one leg hanging over the edge and his mouth wide open in a snore. He wasn’t the only one still sleeping, Herman was also still in bed, his eyes and mouth closed, completely curled up, he looked kind of cute. Nova remembered sharing the room with them, how horrible some of the guys snored. Even though they always denied it. How Lena used to grind her teeth in her sleep and how Elias would occasionally talk in his own language. She had asked Tetiana about what he said but she had brushed it aside, stating it was gibberish even in Serbian. 

Bertrand was the one to call her back to the present as he walked towards her. Not helping that he still hadn’t put on more clothes. The shirt was forgotten in his hand as he looked at her seriously. He was on high alert and so was Lena as she got up, wrapped in the sheets and blankets as she shook both Robbie and Herman awake. Tetiana emerged completely dressed from behind the curtain and opened the door to the hallway, calling Elias inside with a hushed voice. Robbie staggered, half sleeping still, to the bathroom, completely unaware of the tension in the air or the fact that his boss was standing right there. 

“What is going on?” Bertrand put his hands on both of Nova’s shoulders. This wasn’t helping as she forcibly tried to focus on his face rather than the few escaped drops of water trailing down his very toned chest, she could feel her cheeks grow warm but he didn’t seem to notice. 

“Elias, can you get the others from the showers?” The older man nodded and knocked hardly on the bathroom door, shutting up the singing, before walking in. Some conversation followed with at least one voice sounding very unhappy before all five men re-emerged from the bathroom. Ross still showed half a face of shaving cream and Andrew still with shampoo in his hair. This was her team, her friends. Who were willing to put aside their entire routine, their life for her. Perhaps telling them the truth wasn’t such a good idea. But then what was she going to tell them? She needed to get them out of harm's way. 

She didn’t tell them, she couldn’t. Their support, their faith in her, it weighed heavy on her. At least for this day, she decided to let them live in ignorance, for now. Instead she told them about a bad dream, growing rumors of an incoming attack from the Avengers. They just looked at her skeptically but nodded their consent at being careful and not getting drawn into a fight they couldn’t win anyway. It made her feel a little bit more at ease. They would find out the truth soon enough.

* * *

Clint was nervous. Which was stupid. There wasn’t anything new to this mission. they had performed such operations in the last months over a dozen times. Successfully. Perhaps they hadn’t been able to retrieve all the intel they had been looking for. Hydra had gotten very good at burning all of it at the last moment. But at least each base had been cleaned of hydra personnel and they had been able to extract their spy without problem. So why did this time feel different? 

Was it because he still didn’t trust the spy in question, the young woman named Nova? He helped train her, he knew she wasn’t as good as himself or Natasha or any real spy for that matter. But they hadn’t had the time to find and train a real spy. Instead all actual spies had been outed to the internet. So they had to make due. And for someone trained for only a few months, she wasn’t actually terrible. She had the natural ability to save information in her brain, sadly not only the important part, but everything. Still it was better than nothing. Also she had some sort of inconspicuously about her. Which he hoped if she had been made, might help her survive until they were to arrive and extract her. 

He may not have trusted Nova, but he did trust Natasha. Perhaps he hadn’t always trusted her as a person, but her morals were actually quite good if she used them. Such a shame she had been taught not to listen to them during her training. She still sometimes turned it off when needed for a mission. Which was why Steve did no longer trust her. They were a team, or at least supposed to be, but the first cracks were starting to become visible. It was why he had always preferred to work alone. 

Not that he didn’t value the team. Stark and his tech and money were something they all valued highly. Without him they wouldn’t be able to take the jet they were now flying. Also his AI meant that they could now protect civilians, one less thing to worry about. He let his eyes run over the rest of his teammates. Steve, now Captain as he wears his uniform, was lost in thought, looking at a screen, probably contemplating strategy. Thor had fallen asleep and was now sprawled out over three chairs. Natasha was flying, he could just see her red hair over the top of the pilot chair. Bruce and Stark were softly talking about whether or not Hulk was necessary. 

There was a bit of a problem still concerning Hulk. He came in handy in a fight, and by now he even listened to some simple commands over the com. But once the fight was over they still had to contain him and find a way to calm him down. He fiddled with the tranquilizer arrowhead that Stark had made just for that purpose. Let’s hope it works because even with the mission successful a rogue Hulk could cause some serious damage to the civilians around. The brute just didn’t understand when a fight was over. So that is why the scientists now had created veronica. Although somehow sometimes Natasha seemed to be able to talk the Hulk down. Probably just her female charms, the guy must be pumped with testosterone. 

Female charms… He missed Laura, terribly. He hadn’t been home in months now. The last time they had talked again for a long time. He loved his work, loved his wife, loved his team. But she was worried, rightly so. He was only human, no super serum, no iron armor, no feminine charms. She had also gotten worried now that all the files were up for grabs. He had had to assure her that neither her, nor their children were in those files. Courtesy of Fury. He had also started on pulling out the flooring in the sun-room. Having left the job half-finished. He promised to come home after this mission, just for a while. To make the house safe to walk again and spend some time with his kids. 

Perhaps that was why he was nervous. He had a holiday coming up and the house was almost finished. Once he finished the sunroom there was nothing more to do in the house. He wasn’t really good at doing nothing in the house. Perhaps he would just go back for a few days, say hi. Prove that he was still alright. Tidy up the sunroom enough for it to no longer be a construction site and then return to the tower to focus on clearing up hydra. That should keep him busy for a while. He shook his head as he felt the plane starting to descend. Time to focus on the mission at hand first. 

* * *

Nova was hurrying through the hallway looking for the one person she actually didn’t want to look for today, or any day really. Doom. She had thought about this a lot last night. She could just leave him to the proverbial wolves. But then there was that debt that continued to gnaw at the back of her mind. She hated owing people, especially if they were powerful. Strangely though she had no idea what room Doom had occupied in the castle. She just assumed he had one since he had been here every day for the last week. Ever since Loki’s magical incidents his visits had gone from much more frequent to almost non-stop. So he had to sleep somewhere right?

What if he didn’t sleep at all? What if he was one of those people who could live on a half hour nap every night like Einstein had? She had always envied such people. That meant that he didn’t need a room. How was she going to find him now? She had started in the lodgings for visitors but had found nothing and was now hurrying past the agents' chambers towards the area where most officers kept their rooms, including herself. It was then that the alarm started to blare through the building and she tripped over her own feet in fright. Time was running out. 

Every second door to the hallway opened and soldiers of different teams started to crowd the hallway shouting orders at each other or walking around aimlessly. The doors to her own bedroom or the dorm of her team remained closed. It is then that she saw him at the end of the hallway, walking in the other direction. “Dr Doom!” she tried to raise her voice but the sound was drowned in the sea of orders as she tried to make her way against the stream. 

A hand grabbed hold of her arm harshly and she was stopped in her tracks by the pinching fingers. She could just see, in the distance, how Doom rounded the corner and disappeared from view. “Where do you think you are going Officer No?” The voice was harsh and had lost all the chipper she remembered it from having. “I ehm, I…” They were now forming an obstacle in the hallway and Officer Bas pushed her roughly with her shoulder against the wall to allow the soldiers to pass. Turning her to face him. His expression, she shivered, so different from the kind officer she had come to know in the past months, he looked mad, suspecting. She had to get to Doom before it was too late! “Special orders to protect Dr. Doom.” It was a weak excuse but hopefully it would bring her closer to the man she was looking for. 

Officer Bas didn’t buy it however. Pushing her harsher into the wall. “Really?” She nodded as she noticed she was next to the door of her own team. The other man saw her looking and smiled menacingly. He knocked on the door harshly and Elias opened with a questioning look, immediately jumping to salute as he saw the officer. Nova was hidden by the door, Officer Bas covering her mouth and refraining her from alerting her team. “Sir?” Elias asked, “Stand down soldier, go take your gear and report to Officer Sig on the front defense line.” Nova felt her knees grow weak. The front lines, led by Officer Sig who was known for not caring about numbers or deaths. Her team would not survive that, not all of them at least. 

“Sir!” Elias answered and Nova heard him turn around and convey the orders, clearly noting that the orders came from officer Bas and not herself. All she could do now was hope that they would surrender when given the chance. She just hoped that Captain America would give them that opportunity. Somewhere there was a feeling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting something. But there was nothing she could do now so she pushed it away. The hand on her mouth released her as the door to the dorm closed. Instead it remained in the back of her neck as a luring reminder that she had lost control. The hallway was mostly empty now and outside the sounds of battle could be heard. Thunder was rolling through the sky and flashes of light could be seen through the windows. 

Nova was pushed to the end of the hallway, towards the direction that Doom had disappeared in. Officer Bas said nothing, just pushed her along by her neck as he walked at a brisk pace. Her head was straining to find a way to lose her guide but she couldn’t find any. She was caught. Now she could only hope that they wouldn’t kill her before the Avengers were able to save her. 

They arrived at the door to the Lieutenants office and Officer Bas opened the door without knocking. “I’ve got her.” he announced and that was the moment it dawned on Nova as she looked around the room. They knew, they all knew. The lieutenant was grinning at her, the scientists just looked at her with wide eyes, the two soldiers seemed unfazed. Dr Doom was looking out the window, his back turned to her. “Wonderful” The lieutenant's smile never reached her eyes as she rounded her desk and stood in front of Nova. She grabbed Nova’s hair that had been up in a messy bun, the long nails scratching painfully over her scalp. “I am so going to enjoy seeing you suffer.” 

Another shiver passed Nova’s spine and the blood followed it straight down from her face. She just had to hold on a little longer, she kept telling herself. A large explosion made her sigh in relief, they had breached the castle. Now it was only a matter of time before they would find her. Gunshots sounded through the hallway and Doom finally turned around. “It is time.” Was all he said before everyone started moving. The lieutenant let go of Nova and walked to the Filing cabinet while Officer Bas tied Nova’s hands behind her back with some tie-rips. 

Those things really digged into her skin but Nova wasn’t paying attention. Instead she was thinking about what Doom had said. ‘It is time’ time for what? They couldn’t escape now, right? The avengers were almost at the door. She could even hear the charging of Iron man’s repulsors as she started struggling against her captors.

With a soft click the wall next to the filing cabinet moved forward and to the side, revealing a small room buzzing with electricity and blinking multi colored lights. A supercomputer. That was why the lieutenant had checked the filing cabinet after Nova’s break in. And that was where all the signals from the listening device had been gathered.

The door opened and another soldier walked in. A woman based on her curvy yet petite figure but Nova couldn’t see her face. It was obscured by the helmet. They filed through the opening into the second room, leaving behind one of the two male soldiers. Once the wall filed back into place an explosion could be heard on the other side and Nova flinched at the realization what had happened. They all remained silent in the small space however. The scientists each carried a box of files and some medical equipment. The Lieutenant plugged a small USB into the nearest computer only to immediately pull it out with a curse. Frustratedly she kicked her reinforced boot against the nearest machine until it’s lights went out and the front looked dented. 

Dr Doom put a hand on her shoulder. “I have everything you need already.” She sagged slightly then raised her head and looked straight at Nova with hellburning eyes. “You are going to pay for this.” Nova smiled back. Yes they had caught her, but this room was a dead end. They had nowhere left to run. The worst they could do was kill her and somehow she didn’t think they would, since they hadn’t so far. The lieutenant turned to the last male soldier, “You know what to do.” “Yes Lieutenant” The man answered almost reverently with a heavy Spanish accent. Then the lieutenant turned to Dr Doom and she nodded. Some pre-arranged signal obviously as Doom turned around and static electricity gathered around him. 

It begins with a soft crackle, not unlike a very muted version of Thor’s powers. Then a blue light emerges, shining brighter and brighter. The electronics around the room start to protest, lights flickering, fans humming louder and even an occasional beep. The blue light swells leaving a black gap in the middle as the crackling gets louder and louder. The larger the portal becomes the weaker Nova feels. The smile vanishes from her face and cold sweat starts to run down her neck and back. This is bad, this is so much worse than if they had just killed her. She is pushed towards the darkness, hardly noticing the tiny prick in the back of her neck as she is swallowed by the blackness. 

* * *

The figure dressed in yellow wasn’t the Sorcerer supreme that Loki had known from his earlier visits to earth. Even if the bright colored robe didn’t give it away. Yet he immediately recognized the manner in which the dimensional powers flowed through the man as he stood in front of his door. He stepped aside allowing him to enter and he did, turning his back to him as he walked past. The bright yellow robe painfully reminded him of Frigga, thoughts and feelings he couldn’t use right now. The sorcerer supreme was the most powerful mystical being in midgard. Drawing power from all dimensions while he, Loki, drew power just from Yggdrasil. 

The figure removed his hood and then Loki couldn’t help but smile as he realized she had been a woman all along. “My apologies miss?” “They call me the ancient one.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “Although I believe to be the younger of us two.” Loki inclined his head, returning her smile. “Ah, yes, I knew one of your predecessors, I believe his name was Yao?” The woman smiled before turning around and leading Loki through his own hallway to the reception room. How dare she show him manners? Although he was rather glad he didn’t have to turn his back to her. 

As they walked she started talking. “Yes, Yao, he was Tibetan wasn’t he? That was a long time ago. I knew him briefly, although he already no longer was the sorcerer supreme at the time. ”

“Yes, they usually don’t pass the normal midgardian life expectancy.” Loki notes dryly. He can see the sides of her face turn up in a smile again. “No suitable successor I presume?” She enters the reception room and sets herself on the lounger. “He is coming” Her smile is gone, indicating the end of that conversation. 

Loki smiles innocently, seating himself across from her on one of the fauteuils since the couch is still occupied by his laptop and the few books he had been reading to catch up on the last 70 years of midgardian development. “So to what do I owe the honor of your visit if it is not to discuss our past joint friends?” He waves his hand and cups of tea appear in front of them.

“You know why I am here, Loki of Asgard.” The woman takes her cup, warming her hands, but not taking a sip. 

“Please do enlighten me, I had assumed you had forgotten about me, since I haven’t had the chance to meet you despite my many visits here over the years. Am I still on the mystic art naughty's list?” Loki takes a large swig from his tea, it is roseroot tea, his favorite. Very rare in Asgard as the plant only grows in colder climates like the midgardian arctic or Jotunheim. 

Her lips quiver as she hides the start of a smile. “I am afraid so, especially of course after-”

“I can assure you I mean no harm” Loki cuts her off. He doesn’t really mind being on the watchlist, he knows it is their right and very wise choice to watch him. Also their sanctuaries have the most interesting books on the mystic arts, probably even more now after so many years. The thought makes his mouth water. 

“I will need more than your assurance.”

“What is it you need from me?”

“I want to reinstate the agreement you had with Yao.” Her eyes twinkle with mischief at Loki’s inability to hide his surprise before she continues. “If I understand correctly you lived here for a while, back then, under that agreement.”

Loki smiles at her, that agreement had been made in a time of scarcity of mystic arts masters. It had allowed him to learn at their sanctuaries and live in peace in exchange for his help protecting the realm from mystical influences. It had taken him less than five years for them to be so fed up they send him away. 

“However” She disrupted his train of thoughts, “I would like to add to that agreement that you are not to participate in any attacks or to inflict any harm upon my world or it’s people, both physical and mystical.” There is an unmistakable undertone of thread there as Loki raises his eyebrow. 

“You know of the old agreement.”

“Yes”

“Then you know why it didn’t last.”

“Yes”

“Then you know it would be a waste to come and ask me to adhere to your rules now.”

“Perhaps not.” The mischievous smile is back on her face, it intrigues Loki. She apparently knows something. More at least than what Yao knew. The old man had never been a fan of his tricks. “I would like to alter the agreement. I would like you to help us in an event of mystical attack. That would be very welcome. However I don’t need you to become one of our students or to come live with us. You can stay here. As for the more difficult bit.” there was that twinkle in her eyes again. “I can appreciate a good prank here or there, I’m just not such a big fan of world domination.” 

He inclines his head, truthfully neither is he. There just hadn’t been much of a choice. “So you propose, my freedom in exchange for help against mystical interference and my promise not to organize a full attack on your planet or its inhabitants against access to your sanctuaries and libraries?” Before she can answer he extends his hand and shakes hers. “Magnificent, I look forward to our cooperation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really starting to ramp up here!  
> I hope you enjoyed,   
> I'll be back with another chapter in a fortnight.  
> Don't forget to leave kudos and/or comments!  
> Tips and tops are always welcome,   
> as are predictions, expectations, wishes and anything else you wish to say.
> 
> Stay safe, Stay sane,  
> Aïnsa


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